Is it a Crime?
by Cactusgirl329
Summary: Fresh from the academy and looking for her big break, Brittany S. Pierce, takes on her first assignment for Captain Sue Sylvester. Unfortunately for Britt, Sue cares little for her safety and an uncover recon assignment quickly spirals out of control. Will one of her targets become her saving angel or stab her in the back? Brittana.
1. Chapter 1

**Brittana. Cop. Crime. Thriller. Comedy. Romance. Danger. A lot of glee characters. AU. M for sMut. **

**This is a shorty. I needed a little break from **_**Sirens**_** and I wanted to write some more comedy and I had this idea in my head for a while. It's kinda like the love-child of **_**Sirens**_** and **_**LT:P-EYE.**_** The story is close to complete. And it's much bigger than I anticipated. I said one-shot, but that's a lie. I will update this one every couple of days while I work hard on finishing the next chapter for **_**Sirens.**_** Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

**Is it a Crime?**

**1.1 Dirty Laundry**

"Ugly, this type of business."

"Ugly is right. Get a look at all the bruising and the face? Like damn. I'm not sure if he was any prettier before it got busted up."

"Have some respect, Chang."

"Lieutenant Schuester, this is one of the thugs that's been busting anyone he could all up and down High Street. This punk deserved what he got and more."

"That doesn't mean you take that tone of voice."

"Aww, shaddup, Schue. Chang's right. The little fucker deserved it. He definitely needed some dental work done before; now I'm thinking he's going to have a closed casket. One of these bastards off the street means I get a little bump in my pension."

"Yes, but we need to maintain a sort of professionalism and I don't think-"

"Jesus! Listening to you preach is the reason I stopped going to the church and started a worship service… of myself." Sylvester kicked at the body on the ground. "Bastard really got it good."

Sue's disruption of the lifeless body on the cold concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse obviously disturbed Will. The lieutenant attempted to maintain his composure even if he wanted to inform his superior that she could be ruining the scene of the crime by disrupting the body in any way before the forensics team processed everything.

"Obviously something went down here and he got the bad end of the deal. Killed execution style. Too bad it wasn't gladiator style. I would have gladly have paid to see that kind of bloodsport." Sue walked away from the body with a smirk on her face. Schue had a feeling that his superior was imagining said fight in her mind.

"Captain, the warehouse is owned by a well-known arms and drugs dealer in the neighborhood. This was probably his doing." Chang interjected.

"Great! Get the little fucker in cuffs and start the paperwork." Sue smiled.

"Ah. It will be much harder than that."

"Why? I want no excuses! I want this taken care of! Excuses are for the weak, Schue!"

"Um, captain." Mike tried to finish his sentence from before. "The warehouse is connected to the Ark."

At the mention of the Ark, Sue threw her hands up in exasperation in the air. "You got to be kidding me! Will nothing ever go right?" She took a few steps and muttered loudly. "Ever since Figgins promoted grease hair up to lieutenant, everything has gone impossibly wrong in my life. Could it be the oils in his hair are preventing the cosmos from bestowing its usual benefits upon me. If Darwin's laws are still applicable, as the fittest I should still be receiving added bonuses to my character."

"Umm…" Mike took a small step forward and instantly regretted his attempt to break his captain's monologue. "Captain?"

"What!?" Sue turned around. Her one eye was twitching. "Get wheels to do the autopsy and someone drive me back to the precinct. I want to put together a special task force. I want to get this fucker. If this happened on his turf, I want to put him away permanently. I don't care how fortified the Ark is, it's finally gonna sink."

* * *

"No gun was found at the scene of the crime, captain, but Lieutenant Schuester issued for a seven block search. He has all available units checking for where it could have been dumped. So far all reports have come back negative. The gun has been used in several crimes, the earliest dating back as far as ten years. But similar to the other cases, there is no match for the owner of the gun, but all the killings have been suspected to be related in some way to the Ark's interest and always in the Ark's turf." The young and petite forensic team leader finished her report to the ruthless captain of their precinct.

"Thank you, Cohen-Chang. Other, Chang, give me the verdict from Wheels' department."

Mike sat up and gave Tina a side-eyed look of compassion. Everyone knew Sue had an epic reputation in the city. It was well-known and advertised that Sue had the most closed cases in homicide ever. They also knew a letter of recommendation from her could get them a job in NASA's space program, Bob's Bargain Burgers, or the FBI. So they took all the good with the bad.

"Single shot to the back of the head execution style. Instantly dead. Artie couldn't find anything else, but he sent the clothing to forensics for processing."

"Figures." Sue leaned back in her chair and turned to Will. "Schue, how do you want to bring him in?"

"Puckerman?" Schue asked as a reaction to the question. He already knew that was the correct answer.

"Yes, William! The man responsible! What is your plan for bringing him in for questioning? I am sure he already has his lawyer and a rock solid alibi!"

"I-um-"

"Oh for Sue's sake!" Sue said in the same way anyone else would have cursed to god. "Please tell me you have a better plan than your last one."

The Changs snickered quietly behind Will against Sue's door. They too remembered Will's last attempt in the interrogation room. The interview tape had somehow gotten leaked to everyone in the department. His last suspect had been a former Broadway singer for _Man a la Mancha_ and suspected of killing the director for a chance at a bigger role in the company. He had been working for the company for fifteen years and had offered so many ideas for productions, but none of his ideas had ever been used. Will thought by performing "The Impossible Dream" would inspire their suspect to sing with him and confess. Instead, Sue's department had been made the laughing joke of the city, especially when some idiot posted the video on the internet. It went viral in less than eight hours.

"Well I thought we could try and break his alibi from the inside."

"Good thought, but last time we attempted to approach the Ark, that devil of an attorney beat us to the front door with a list of grievances against our investigation and department. What was her name?"

Will shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The lawyer had taken his entire investigation and dismantled it within a few embarrassing moments. "Fabray. Quinn Fabray."

"Yes, that's her. Damn, I would want her on my squad to bust nuts and interrogate suspects. She can crack a shell harder than even the one formed by that Anderson's gel hair-do." Sue shook her head in disgust and admiration for the attorney. "And the time before that, our men were compromised by the Ark's rather…expensive and professional staff. That had been…"

"An embarrassment…" Will remembered his commander's adjectives for his other operation quite well. He muttered the words hoping that it would settle Sue down before she tore into him some more.

"I don't think I need to remind anyone how that fuck up was another one of your messes, William." Sue shook her head. "We need a better plan. One that won 't be foiled by the Ark's defenses."

"We could always try a raid." Chang suggested.

Sue barked in derision at the suggestion. "Ha! And have that Fabray lawyer come down here and tear this department apart because of a breach in protocol and dirty cop tactics? She'd chop your head off in one quick blow and I don't mean the head attached to that neck. No, this requires some finesse and above all, luck. I want to send someone in there."

"But we tried that." Tina butted in.

"No, William sent in that idiot Finn with Karofsky. They had to be the least stealthiest and diplomatic choices ever chosen in the history of espionage to infiltrate a criminal group. Like really? You might have sent in a card written in all crayon with the boxes that asked: Did you commit this crime? Yes? No? Maybe? _That _would have been a better tactic." Sue shook her head. "Sloppy."

"Captain, you've said a lot of things that won't work, but nothing that you want to try. Do you have a plan? Should I be making a special task force?" Will was obviously growing more impatient and annoyed by the minute.

"Chang, send in the blondes."

Mike turned and left Sue's office to retrieve the blondes. Will frowned. "They're new and very raw. They are straight from the academy and barely working traffic duty. Why do you want them?"

"They are going to be our secret weapon. They are our crayon paper of guilt. They are so obviously undercover that it will hopefully throw our crime lord off. If not, well then the worst that could happen is two dead newbies or some bad bruises. Not that high of a price to pay to slam the book of law on this little piece of shit who's been ruining my near perfect numbers for the past few years."

Again, Will didn't like Sue's arbitrary attitude at the prospect of two dead cops on her hands to shut the Ark down. But he couldn't say much. When Figgins had been promoted to the top ranking position of chief of police by the mayor, he had chosen Sue to fill his position. Will had pleaded with Figgins for anyone but Sue. His pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

A timid knock on the door broke their separate thoughts.

"Come in!" Sue yelled. Will startled.

"You called for us, captain?" A tall, young, and blonde haired man entered the office. He looked around and already felt out of place. It wasn't very often the captain took an interest in rookies. And he hadn't been around long enough to really mess up so he wasn't sure why he had been summoned. Sure, Sam Evans had already concocted a few conspiracy theories on the matter in the three minutes it had taken to walk from his desk to his boss' office. But all those theories got shot to hell when Brittany Pierce had joined him at the last second to walk in.

They knew each other from the academy and everyone called them the blondes or the twins or the blonde twins. Or anything of that nature that because they had been practically inseparable during training and everyone thought they were siblings. For a while they thought it was funny and perpetuated the lie until one very drunk off-duty night, they kissed each other at the bar with the rest of their peers.

The next day they were brought into their superiors to answer to charges of incest, lewd behavior, and inappropriate conduct. The kiss had been awkward enough since they already felt like they were brother and sister, but to have to explain over and over again that they weren't related, really killed any chance they ever had at a romantic relationship, but not their tight friendship.

"Pierce. Evans. Sit." Sue commanded and looked at Will to vacate his seat so Brittany could sit down.

"Yes, ma'am." The blondes responded.

Brittany settled into the seat next to her good friend Sam and wanted to give him a questioning look, but Sue's wrath was legendary. It was known to be career suicide to ever break eye contact with the great Sylvester. Her ire was one for legends and fairy tales.

"You two just recently graduated from the academy and came to our lovely precinct. How do you like it?"

"It's great!" Brittany blurted out, but then saw the look of surprise on Sue's face from her sudden outburst. "I mean, I enjoy the work a lot."

"Yeah, we like it a lot."

"So there's nothing you'd like to change?" Sue baited them.

"Nope!" They both said in their abnormally cheerful voices. It disgusted Sue.

"Well, blondies. There is something I would like to change and you two with your baby faces and golden hair are going to help me." Sue's eyes hooded over. Brittany gulped. She had a feeling that despite Sue's good intentions, she doubted they would be good for either Sam or herself. "You two are going to get your first big break with us. If you make this bust happen, I promise your days of placing tickets on cars will be over and you can count yourself as _shoe_-ins for _Schue_'s job."

"What?" Will asked.

Sue waved off his question. "Once he retires or suffers a fatal accident or something. Can I count on you two?"

The blondes looked at each other for a second before nodding. Brittany turned back to their superior with an innocent and eager smile. This was her big chance and one shot. "You can count on us, Captain Sylvester, we won't let you down. Just tell us what you need us to do."

"I want you to take down the Ark from the inside. You're going to break his alibi by breaking the one woman he's always with. Get her and you get Noah."

"Puckerman?" Sam's overly large mouth dropped in surprise. This was huge.

Brittany nodded. "Noah Puckerman. We've got this."

* * *

The line to get into the Ark wrapped around the building and around the block. The white undercover van sat at the corner of the street on the opposite side of the Ark. Britt and Sam knew Schue, Mike, and Hudson were in the back running surveillance with a SWAT team on call not far away if anything got hairy. Britt tugged at the hem of her short and very tight fitting dress. Captain Sylvester had insisted that she chose an outfit from her college days. Brittany had warned her superior that her tastes equated to less is more or something like that.

The blue dress shimmered in the street light as she pulled her leather jacket tighter around her body. Back in college, she would have worn this dress with no jacket easily because she'd already be buzzed and the cold would just roll off her body. Of course she was on official police business therefore no pre-game and she was freezing outside the club waiting to get inside. Habit took over as she reached down and pulled the straps of her dress up with little tugs. Sam looked over at her as she did so and blushed. He had opted to wear dress slacks and a light purple dress shirt with no tie. He didn't look bad, but he kept giving his goofy grin to every person who walked past them.

"Are you sure that we shouldn't have any training before we do this?" Brittany asked. The academy never covered this.

"Sorry, Pierce, but the captain insisted that you have as little experience as possible. She thought it would help with the element of surprise. I'm sure you'll do great." Mike said through their communications.

"Stop grinning at everyone!" Britt hissed to her partner.

"What?"

"It's not cool if you look like a nice guy. They are never going to let us in."

"Pierce is right. Try and appear as nonchalant as possible." Mike's voice echoed in their ears.

Brittany readjusted the clutch the department had given her for the operation. It had some cracked leather and a few jewels that looked as if they had been put on the bag by one of the bedazzled kits. Inside the purse, they had inserted a listening device so they could hear any conversations and they gave Britt a safe word to use for immediate extraction if something would go wrong. Apparently the operation was supposed to be very low key and the possibility of extraction even lower. The captain wanted information and possible ways to observe Puckerman and his woman without the ever vigilant eye of Fabray.

"But I'm always chivlarant. That's how my momma raised me." Sam bent over to talk into the opening of Brittany's purse. The other cop pulled it back so fast the clutch whipped Sam on the nose.

"Stop talking into my purse! You're going to blow our cover." Brittany pushed him back a little and smiled to the people in front of him. They were giving the two of them strange looks. Britt quickly tried to cover his behavior. "He started drinking pretty early."

Sam shot the couple in front of them one of his goofy grins. Britt sighed. This was how she was going to die.

* * *

"Looks like it's going to be another good night." A low, seductive voice purred as it sauntered through the VIP section. She wore a tight strapless dress that hugged her thighs in a criminal fashion at the shortest length it could possibly be. The top of the dress went straight across her chest and drew any gazer's eyes to the tops of her breasts. Her caramel color skin and her dark hair fit her alluring aura.

"It's always a good night." A voice responded from the rather large and impressive couch. He stroked the top of his bald head as he peered from his vantage point over his club. The Ark had long since been his front for his more profitable businesses, but he always had a soft spot for the actual club. Besides, he loved looking at the ladies. "Come here and let me see you."

Santana Lopez stepped out of the darkness in the corner of the VIP lounge. Her sashay was practiced and a usual, but appreciated sight at the Ark. Her ass swayed in a confident manner as she gracefully stepped by the table in front of Puckerman and sat on his right side. The couch dipped with her added weight. Without hesitation, his arm wrapped around her bare shoulders and her left hand dropped casually onto his upper thigh. She smirked as she felt his body tense up next to him. Her nails dragged the material up and down without touching what her boss wanted her to desperately caress.

"You look good tonight."

"I always look good."

Puck melted into the sofa even further reveling in the feel of his favorite property's touch even if he knew it was a tease at most. "You know I hate it when you do this."

"Do what?"

"This." He placed his hand on top of hers and removed it from his pant leg. "I only want it if you're actually going to give it to me."

"Where would the fun be in that?"

"I know I'm not your type. You've made that perfectly clear." Noah stretched his right arm and rubbed at her bare shoulder again. "How was the girl I sent last night?"

"Not bad." Santana said with a smirk. "You know I like them blonde."

"That's why I sent her up."

"Noah…" The Ark had been aptly named as a nod to its owner's name, Noah. But everyone called him Puckerman. Very few had the privilege of addressing him by his first name. Santana was one of them. "I only tease you to keep up appearances. I assure you, I take no pleasure in causing you discomfort."

He rolled his eyes. Puck knew Santana loved causing him sexual frustration at every turn. It was the only thing she could control in her life. Since Puck owned everything else about her. "You're such a vixen. Just remember who you spent last night with."

"You, darling, only you." Santana said with a smirk and a wink. Her left pointer finger ran along the underside of Puck's chiseled chin. Even if she had spent last night between some beautiful blonde's legs, she knew the drill. If Noah needed an alibi, she was it.

"That's what I like to hear. What song are you singin-" Noah's voice cut off as one of his security guys came through the roping to their sofa area.

"Mr. Puckerman." The man said and stepped forward. Puck readjusted himself so he sat straight up instead of the lean he had over Santana's body. Noah gave him a curt head nod to continue speaking. "The head of security wanted me to show you some footage from outside."

"Bring it here."

The man stepped forward with a tablet in hand and pressed played. The video showed a van rolling up to the block and a young woman and man getting out. The video skipped forward to the two of them in line waiting for admittance to the Ark. The blonde haired man was bending over and apparently talking to the woman's purse before he put a hand to his ear and touched what appeared to be an ear piece. "Ms. Berry thinks they could be undercover cops, but I don't think they are. They appear harmless."

"Berry said they were cops?"

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean-"

Puckerman cut off the man's blathering. "That's why she gets paid the big money and you get to carry around video footage. If Berry says they're cops, then they're cops."

He pressed play on the footage again. "Don't let the guy in, but let the woman in. If she's a cop, she won't last long without her backup. They'll probably pull her out right away. Don't make too big a scene. I don't want to give Fabray another reason to yell at me." Puckerman paused on a close-up of the woman. "She's definitely too hot to be a cop. And she's blonde. Wanna take a crack at her?"

Santana leaned over to get a closer view and feigned disinterest. It was hard to keep the excitement from her voice. The woman was gorgeous. It would be a pity if she was a cop. Santana shrugged. "She's alright."

"Alright? I'll never understand you." Puck shook his head again. Women were easy enough to understand, but Santana had always been difficult to read. "So does that mean you'll take care of her? If she's with the cops, I can't have the boys roughing her up in the back. You know?"

"She's much too pretty to be touched by any of their hands. I'll take care of her and find out if she's a cop or just being used as a prop." Santana said, but her eyes lingered on the paused image of the blonde.

"Good. Now come here and show me some appreciation." Puck passed the pad back to his lackey and pulled Santana into his lap. Despite knowing that she didn't swing that way, Puckerman enjoyed a show of power and the feel of her settled on him. Her lips grazed against his sensually even if Puck could see it in her eyes – Santana's heart wasn't in it.

Appearances had to be kept. At least he knew she wasn't sleeping with another man.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting. You're going to blow this for us." Brittany yanked at Sam's arm and tried to pull him into her body. If she could steady him, maybe they could still get in without a fuss or rousing suspicions.

"I'm trying, but I think I can feel the tag in my undershirt and it's like super scratchy. I need those Hanes like MJ has."

"Michael Jackson? I thought he was dead."

"No, MJ, Michael Jor-"

"IDs." The bouncer at the door said in a less than amused tone of voice.

Britt reached into her purse, careful not to disrupt the mic hidden in the side zipper, and handed over her license.

"Welcome to the Ark-" The bouncer flipped her card through the scanner. It was a fake, but one issued by the police. It scanned and it should pass through with no problem. And it did. "Anita."

Sam gave her a funny look. Anita? That was her fake name? Brittany ignored Sam and took the card back. "Thanks."

The other blonde handed his card over. The bouncer barely glanced at it. Instead of running it through the scanner, he pulled out the blacklight flashlight from his back pocket and ran it over the card. Britt could clearly see the right symbols showing up like any valid license, but the bouncer frowned and shoved the card back into Sam's chest.

"What kind of fucking card is this? You think I'm a fucking joke? What kind of door do you think I'm running here?" He growled and shoved his hand into Sam's chest harder. Britt sensed something was wrong and immediately dropped her ear piece into her purse in case the bouncer was looking for cops. "How old are you? 16? My nephew who just started kindergarten has more whiskers than you do. Little punk ass bitch."

"Hey!" Sam didn't enjoy being shoved around and he shoved back.

Brittany could see a few guards who hadn't been around before were now gathering around them. Their cover was blown. They had barely started and they were already done. The captain was going to be pissed. She started to back away so they could make a clear escape, but the guards only grabbed onto Sam. The blonde struggled, but didn't blow his own cover. He glanced back at Britt as he was being carried away with an apologetic shrug. She was sure her ear piece buried deep in her purse was probably telling her to get out of there.

"Hey." One of the bouncers pointed to her. "What about that one?"

"Nah, she's good. Let her in." The original bouncer said.

Britt glanced once more to Sam as he was being pushed down the street. Her partner kept shooting her questioning looks. He wanted to know why she was still there. Brittany held her purse closer to herself and tucked safely underneath the leather of her jacket. This was her only chance to make it out of traffic duty. Her bright blue eyes met the bouncer's gaze. "I didn't even know him."

He shrugged and allowed her to walk in the door. Here goes nothing. Brittany's heels tapped against the floor as she entered the Ark, partner-less.

As soon as she stepped into the door, the bouncer spoke into his com. "Boy cop's taken care of. He won't be back. The blonde chick went inside. No problems. No questions."

"Good."

* * *

The Ark was definitely the hottest place to be on any night of the week. On the weekends, it was hard to even move through the crowds. This Thursday night was no exception. Despite its scrupulous background and its shady owner, people lined up around the block to dance and get drunk. The Ark was known for its mix of entertainment. Almost all the bar tenders and waitresses were models Puckerman had hand selected. There were known to be a few backrooms in the Ark where only a few of the highest paying clientele got the chance to meet some of those women up close and personal. There was always a DJ spinning and every so often Puckerman's golden lady would grace the stage to belt out some incredible songs. She had a record deal through Puckerman's label and therefore exclusively sang at the Ark. Her presence alone drew more than fifty percent of his customers. Even without the drugs and the arms dealing, Puckerman would be a very rich man.

Brittany glanced around. She already felt the heat of the dance floor coupled with the smell of alcohol. For a moment she reconsidered being alone in the Ark without any backup. Hopefully Sam would be okay.

"Oh, crap!" Her hands rifled through the department issued handbag for the ear piece she had removed before security could see it. As casually as possible, Brittany played with her long blonde and wavy hair while subtly placing the coms piece in her ear.

"Pierce! Pierce! Come in! Jesus, do we have a visual? Has anyone heard from Evans?"

"Sylvester is going to chew our asses out."

"Please calm down, sir." Chang's voice calmly tried to bring their superior back. "I'm sure they're fine."

"They'll be dead and Sylvester won't even care." Will said.

"Candy van, do you hear me?" Brittany said just loud enough so the mic in her bag underneath her arm would pick up her voice without being too obvious. The van for the operation had been so shady, they had named it the candy van.

"Baby Gazelle?" And Captain Sylvester had been the one to give the code names to Brittany and Sam. "Do you have contact with Little Guppy?"

"You don't have him?"

"We were unable to establish contact after the entrance."

Sam would be fine. He would have to be fine. "Do I have the go-a-head?"

There was a pause in communications. Brittany could almost hear Will's brain churning for the right answer. Despite his less than successful endeavors at police work, he always had his heart in the right place. But maybe this type of public service wasn't best suited for him. He almost cared too much.

"Yes." Mike's voice came back. "But proceed with caution. First time you think your cover's blown, get out. Puckerman's known to be ruthless. The captain just wants you to observe. Nothing fancy."

"Clear, Gazelle?" Will voice asked.

"Crystal."

* * *

"Crystal? Wine? Water?" The waitress leaned over the VIP table where Puckerman had vacated and left Santana by herself. The brunette's dark brown eyes rose to meet hers. The delicious curve of her lips smiled without much passion as Santana shook her head.

"Tequila."

"Ms. Berry said that we shouldn't let you have-"

"Ms. Berry?" Santana's eyes snapped. "And you think Ms. Berry is the one you should be listening to?"

"Well she does-"

"Stop." Santana held her hand in the air. "Get me my drink and if she has a problem with it, she can come down here herself."

"I-um-"

"Go." Santana leaned back and crossed her legs. Her dark eyes scouted the area below the VIP booth onto the dance floor. It was always the same. Nothing particularly interesting and no one she wanted to be around. All she had was Puckerman and that stupid deal for a recording contract she had made with him years ago.

She was so close to finishing their terms – she could taste freedom in the air. A few more alibis and a few more songs and she'd be able to walk out of the Ark for good.

"Your tequila." A voice said next to her. Santana didn't even bother to look at the girl. She took the glass from the extended hand and knocked it back without a moment of hesitation. The shock of how smooth the liquid hit the back of her throat caused Santana to sputter.

"What the fuck?" She flipped the glass onto the table in front of her. "Water? You've got to be fucking kiddin- Berry…"

"Santana." The petite woman stood there with a faux-pleasant smile on her face. "I've told you multiple times that drinking before a performance can seriously affect your vocal range. I don't know many times I have to send that poor girl over here with water only to have her come crying back into my office."

"I don't care what you think or what you suggest I drink or the fact that you practically run this club. When I want my drink, I want my drink."

"But you could damage your reputation with one false note and therefore my reputation as the-." Berry started.

"Head of security?" Santana scoffed. "Sometimes you're more of a diva than Cedes. You're a glorified security guard, Berry. No matter how hard you pretend to be otherwise."

"Another water?" She ignored the words that were meant to be hurtful toward her. Rachel knew how scathing Santana could be, but she also knew the woman was mostly bark. She had been kept on a very short leash at the Ark for longer than most.

"Sounds delightful." Santana rolled her eyes. But she suddenly remembered Puckerman's orders for the night. "Did the blonde come in?"

"Which one?" Berry asked with a playful tug of her eyebrow. She knew exactly which one Santana would be interested in. Even if Santana played Noah's arm-candy, Rachel was the head of security at the Ark and had caught Santana quite a few times in the backrooms with some of the Ark's most attractive female waitresses. Unfortunately, those girls were let go. Noah couldn't have anyone blabbing about how good Santana was in bed when she was only supposed to be in his.

Santana pursed her lips, unamused by Berry's teasing. "Is she here?"

Rachel put her finger to the ear piece underneath her long dark hair. One of the bouncers just put through the comm that the female had entered the club. Rachel responded. "Good."

"I don't have all night, Berry."

"Your girl just entered. I don't see why Noah's having you handle the situation. I could take care of her much more efficiently."

"So you think she's a cop too?"

"I know she's a cop." Rachel paused and added. "Make sure you get rid of her. I don't want any of the boss' mess mucking up the Ark, okay?"

"Whatever, Berry."

As Berry walked away, Santana impatiently waited for her to completely leave the VIP section before she stood up. The Latina casually approached the railing of the balcony so she could get a better look at her prey. It took only a few seconds. The blonde in the tight dress and the leather jacket stood out with her beautiful long legs that went on forever. It had been a long time since a woman excited Santana this much and she hadn't even met her yet.

A cop?

Probably.

But Santana had flirted with danger before.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. The chapters are smaller than I normally post, but I'll be updating with frequency. **_**Sirens**_** should see an update very soon! Hope you have a lovely weekend!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the alerts and the reviews! I do miss writing the light-hearted stuff! So I get pumped when I get such positive reactions from you!**

* * *

**Is it a Crime?**

**1.2 Dirty Laundry**

Brittany approached the closest bar area that wasn't too difficult to navigate to. Most of the counters were crowded with men and women either chatting or trying to gain the attention of the very busy bartenders. Everyone moved with a purpose and to the steady beat of the bass from the dance floor. Not that the dance floor was contained to only one area. Everywhere bodies were pulsing to the music and rubbing up against each other. Brittany smiled to herself and thought about her days spent in college and at clubs with her friends.

Britt found one part of the bar that was more open than the others. The cop didn't think anything of it and sat down at an empty bar stool. A few people gave her passing glances, but didn't move toward her. It felt strange to be in a club without at least someone to talk to. Going to a club like this was only fun in a group.

"Baby Gazelle, are you in a good position? Do you see the target?" The ear piece asked. Mike was back to speaking to her.

Britt glanced up to the VIP section, but didn't see anyone except some rather large security guards. Puckerman might not show up at his club tonight. He could be elsewhere. "Negative."

"Maintain good position and tell us when you've seen the target."

"Copy." Brittany said softly. Her fingers were playing with the neatly arranged napkins on the counter and the small bowl of pistachios. It had been a long time since she had seen that type of nut. In fact, she was pretty sure the last time she had seen pistachios were at her Uncle Milton's house. She picked one up and carefully opened it before she popped it into her mouth. Before she could even reach down for a second, another one appeared from nowhere and was perfectly situated exactly where she had just taken the first one. Brittany hadn't noticed it before, but since she definitely remembered eating one, she peered closely into the bowl. For the first time, she realized all the nuts were arranged in a perfect circle around the outer edge.

Strange.

She shrugged and took another one. By the time she had worked the shell off and popped it into her mouth, Brittany saw the pistachio had already been replaced.

"What?"

A simple glance down and Brittany saw there was a hand desperately grabbing for the discarded shells she had dropped to the counter. The hand moved lightning fast across the surface of the counter to gather all the shells with a napkin. Another napkin was rubbing in perfect circles onto the polished wood. The small woman was a little bit older than the rest of the staff Brittany had seen working the bar, but she was attractive for a woman in her middle thirties. Her eyes were wide, bright, and slightly panicking.

The frantic way the woman's hands were trying to clean the bar counter made Brittany feel guilty. Was she causing this woman all this panic over a few crumbs? Maybe she shouldn't be eating at the bar like this?

"Um-can I help you?" Brittany asked.

"Me?" Her head popped up from cleaning the counter, but her hands never stopped moving. Brittany was sure that particular spot of wood would be the shiniest in the country by the time this woman stopped cleaning it. The question must have amused her because she started to laugh hysterically. "No! Oh my goodness no! I am here to help you. What can I get you to drink?"

Brittany couldn't tear her eyes away from the swirling cloths still making perfect circles.

"Water."

"Sure coming right up!" The woman said enthusiastically, but she didn't move anywhere. Her hands kept cleaning the counter. Brittany's eyes were following the circles and she glanced back up to the woman. Her bright and almost cartoonish eyes were wide with what Brittany thought could only be panic.

Britt had always been naturally empathetic. The voice of her superior rang through her head. She could only imagine Sue yelling about taking precious time and energy to deal with a clearly unhinged bartender. But the woman was going to literally clean the counter to death. Brittany wouldn't be surprised if there was a hole under the cloth by the time she was done. "Do you-um-do you want me to take over here?" The blonde officer pointed to the cloth. "I can take over if you want."

"Would you?" She asked desperate for some relief.

"Um sure! I'll just take that cloth from you." Brittany reached for the cloth. Very cautiously the woman let go of the cloth and allowed Brittany to grip it.

"Just um make small circles like that. Okay, perfect!" She hesitated for a moment before she walked away.

Britt worked the cloth the same way the bartender had been so painstakingly cleaning with it. A few seconds later she returned with a small glass of ice water in her hand. Before she placed the glass down, she pulled out four napkins from underneath the counter and arranged them in a perfect stack on the counter before she centered the glass of water down. "There you go. And I will take that." The bartender took the rag from Brittany's hand and threw it into a laundry basket behind her.

"Thanks!" Britt said as she picked up the glass and took a sip of the cold water. Before she could even place the water back down on the counter, the bright-eyed woman had already replaced the napkins with exactly four more, neatly stacked. Brittany could feel a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "My name's Bri-Anita." She quickly caught her mistake as she remembered the name on her fake ID.

"Oh that's so nice. Most people just want my name." Her smile faltered. "Because they want to report me." She paused and looked up as if she had been tricked. "Wait, do you want to report me?"

"What?" A few drops of water spurted out of Britt's mouth as the woman quickly panicked about her name. "No! I wasn't going to report you. Why would I report you?"

The woman quickly retrieved a new cloth and wiped up the few drops of water obsessively. "Emma. My name is Emma and I have no idea why anyone would report me-" She was rubbing even harder. "Or why I am always the lowest tipped bartender. I just don't understand. I keep the nicest station and it's always neat. And no one ever dances on my counters because it's against the bar's policy and it's unsanitary. But I am still always reported."

Brittany saw at least four other places on the counter where drunken women in short skirts or dresses were dancing on the bar top. Maybe it wasn't really against the Ark's policy, but she wasn't going to tell Emma that. Instead, Britt smiled and tried to get Emma to calm down a bit and maybe not clean the countertop so furiously.

"Well you did just give me the cleanest glass I've ever had at a bar."

"I did?" Emma looked up with a much brighter smile and stopped rubbing at the counter. "I did hand wash it seven times."

"It's sparkling." Brittany said softly with a kind smile. The woman blushed and muttered something about having to clean the taps for the tenth time. "Thank you, Emma."

Brittany waited until Emma had walked away before she attempted to make contact with the Candy Van again.

"Gazelle, you clear?"

"Yes."

"She sounded nice." This time it was Will on the line.

"Real nice…like a mother you'd want to kiss or maybe hang out with cause you're feeling down." This was the first time Finn had spoken and Brittany kinda wished he hadn't. Those were some strange feelings that everyone felt he shouldn't have shared.

"Don't you think that's a little inappropriate?" Will started to ask Finn and it felt like it was going to be one of those emotional sessions Will liked to conduct during evaluations with his squad members.

Mike cut him off. "Have you made contact yet?"

"No." Britt responded. Guiltily, she remembered they hadn't made contact with Sam yet either. "Have you found Guppy?"

"No. But we have the team working on it. We're sure he's okay."

Brittany didn't want to imagine where Sam was if he wasn't with the team by now. Maybe she shouldn't have left him. She should have stayed with him. "Maybe I should leave and help with the search."

"No. Stay the course. Make the captain happy." Will's voice overrode Mike's calming presence on the line.

"Understood." Brittany picked up the glass of water from the counter and took another sip. She could feel Emma already clearing the napkins on the counter and replacing them. But Britt didn't turn around just yet. Now that she had a comfortable position in the club, the patrons were easily visible to observe. There were guards posted everywhere and even a few moved through the crowds. Most people were drunk and those who weren't were the ones Brittany's eyes lingered on. One in particular caught her attention.

Brittany instantly recognized the woman from the case profiles. Anyone would recognize her. Unless they lived under a rock and Brittany most certainly did _not_ live under a rock.

Santana Lopez.

She was **the** Santana Lopez. The biggest attraction in this shit city and she sang exclusively at the Ark and only for Puckerman. She was also known to be his exclusive girl. Whenever she had an event, he would be right there. And every time he was brought in for questioning, she was always his alibi. True to her status at the club, it seemed like she parted the waves. The sea of people who barely budged for the bouncers, easily pulled apart to give her the space her presence demanded. Brittany didn't even realize she was staring at the singer until she noticed the sea parting in her direction. Suddenly Santana's eyes were locked onto hers from across the club.

"I think I'm about to make contact with Santana Lopez." Brittany hurriedly whispered toward her clutch.

Mike's calm voice quickly responded. "Do you feel like your cover's been blown?"

Instinctively, Britt almost whispered 'yes,' but the word remained lodged in her throat. Truthfully, she had never felt so exposed before in all her life. Her blue eyes were locked with the sultry dark haired beauty, sauntering purposefully Brittany's way. All she could see were those dark eyes and Brittany's heart fluttered. They flashed with hunger, an insatiable kind. Brittany instantly realized that she was the prey. She sat on the barstool, firmly in Santana Lopez's crosshairs. Her heart was pounding, but not from fear, but her body quivered from anticipation and the realization that even if she wanted to flee, this woman never missed a shot or allowed her quarry to escape. Breathlessly, Brittany whispered back to Mike. "No." But she knew the truth, she was definitely in danger and this woman…this woman was going to be the cause of it.

Brittany adjusted the clutch under her arm and allowed her leather jacket to rest easier around her body. No matter how much the jacket covered her, Brittany could feel Santana's eyes roving up and down her body shamelessly. Any other time someone would have so brazenly eyed up every inch of her body, Brittany would have felt violated or objectified. But Santana's eyes weren't only on Brittany's long legs or looking to her chest, no, Santana's eyes met hers like a challenge.

Shit.

A shudder ran down Brittany's body. She tried to shake the feeling. This was her job. She had a job to do. Try as she might to concentrate on anyone or anything else in the club, Brittany found the task impossible.

"Be careful." She could hear Mike's voice in her ear, but it felt so distant. Everything faded away as Brittany stood in this woman's direct line of sight. As she neared, Brittany's heart beat even faster and she knew for sure that contact with this woman would be her death. Britt resisted the urge to look around.

Santana was only a few feet from her now and had yet to break eye contact with the blonde. Brittany sucked in what she felt would be her last breath.

And then nothing.

Santana finished her strut through the club and easily slid into the space next to Brittany. For a moment, the Latina batted her long eye lashes at the blonde before she turned to Emma. Britt's body quaked from what felt like a near-death experience. Her heart slowly returned to normal. Now that she was able to think again, Britt watched as Santana casually leaned over the counter. She didn't know if she should feel relief that Santana hadn't been coming all the way over here for her or disappointment that her enchanting stare had been for someone else.

Who? Brittany could hardly imagine it had been for Emma. Those dark eyes had been on Brittany and Brittany alone. Every inch of her body hummed with energy from the enchantress sitting next to her.

"Pills." Santana addressed the bartender with both familiarity and power. Emma jumped. "Can I get my usual?"

Emma nodded emphatically and pulled out a bottle of liquor. Brittany licked her upper lip and debated if she should turn around and address Santana. Would that blow her cover by being too forward? Or was this the perfect opportunity to observe Puckerman's favorite girl without her knowledge?

Brittany never got the chance to act on either of those questions as Santana turned around on the counter so she was facing Brittany. Her elbow rested lazily on the wood. Brittany had no choice but to acknowledge her presence. Trying to make herself seem as natural as possible, the blonde gave her the closest thing to a smile. Unfortunately after spending so much time with Sam, the smile was less than graceful and spread across her face too wide. Santana's smile changed. It also broadened as if taking on a more natural disposition. Brittany wanted to tell her that it was pretty, but she couldn't.

Job! She needed to focus on her job!

"It's been a very long time since I've seen a woman walk through the doors as beautiful as yourself and not be an employee of the Ark." Each and every single word from her lips were laced with a certain boldness that Brittany couldn't quite figure out. Britt's eyes darted from her eyes to her lips and quickly back to her eyes.

And then she processed the words.

It had been awhile since anyone had truly made her blush. She was used to getting hit on by both sexes, especially at the club. But this time it felt different. Never had just the sound of someone's voice hummed through her entire body like Santana's words. Brittany felt like an idiot for being unable to respond. "I-um-"

"It's okay. No need to say anything. I just wanted you to know how beautiful you are." Santana's lips curved into a mysterious smirk.

"Thanks." This time Brittany really did blush. She almost pushed her hair back as a nervous habit, but remembered the ear piece that her blonde locks were concealing.

Job. Job. Job.

"Santana Lopez." She held out her hand for Brittany to take. The blonde swallowed hard trying to remember her fake name. Santana's eyes held her paralyzed. What was her name? Her brain raked trying to remember the fake ID in her wallet.

On cue, Emma returned with a glass and four napkins perfectly stacked on the counter. "Here you go, Miss Lopez."

"Yes. Yes. Thank you. How about you get another drink for…" Santana's eyebrow arched toward Brittany.

"Anita!" Brittany blurted out suddenly remembering the ID. The force of her name took Santana aback. The singer licked and bit her bottom lip in amusement. A small smile played on her lips. "I mean-" Brittany tried again with much more control. "Anita. My name's Anita."

"Is it now?" Santana playfully repeated the name. It didn't roll off her tongue properly. "Anita." It didn't feel right. No, that had to be a cover. Maybe Berry was right about the blonde being a cop. Santana tried not to frown. If she was a cop, she couldn't stay in the Ark for too long. Sure, Noah had asked Santana to clean up the mess, but he was impatient and it wouldn't be long until his thugs took care of Legs.

Damn.

"Anita" was far too fuckable to be cop and far too pretty to get roughed up. It had been a long time since someone had made her smile like this woman. Seriously? It seemed as if she couldn't even remember her own name. "Anita" had to be the worst undercover cop ever, but so damn hot.

Fuck.

Santana knew she was going to regret this. She didn't even glance to Emma, but she said. "Fetch Anita another water?"

"I'm good. Really." Brittany tried to get Emma's attention so the bartender wouldn't work herself into another frenzy, but she must not have heard her. Forced to look back at Santana, Brittany felt the situation was already getting way out of hand. "Thanks."

"No problem, Anita." Santana leaned forward and touched the pistachios in the bowl on the counter. All of Emma's perfect circles were messed up, but Brittany didn't see malicious intent in Santana's eyes. No, it was something else. The brunette met her eyes with a soft smile and questioned. "So where are you from?"

"I'm from West Valley, just out of the city." Brittany said thankful that she had finally recalled all the details of her cover.

"West Valley, huh?" Santana asked playfully. Her eyes batted. And Britt felt her heart skip again. Santana had to know she was lying. "You know, Anita,-" Every time Santana said her alias' name, Brittany resisted the urge to cringe. Her cover was definitely blown. "-my favorite tio lives in West Valley and he would have definitely told me about an Anita like you living near him. He's got an eye for that kinda of thing."

"An eye for what kind of things?" Brittany asked, unsure what Santana could be implying.

Santana leaned forward on the bar stool a little further. Her left hand slid across the wood of the counter so her fingers were only a fraction away from touching Brittany's. Her luscious lips were level with Brittany's own and the officer could feel every hot breath she exhaled. But those dark eyes are what mesmerized the blonde woman. Brittany's eyes were drawn to those lips as Santana huskily whispered the words. "Hot blondes."

Brittany felt the heat of her words run like wildfire through her body. If this wasn't Puckerman's girl, Brittany would be certain that Santana was shamelessly flirting with her. It wouldn't be the first time she had been hit on by girls and she wasn't so innocent to say that she hadn't run a few pickup lines on the "fairer" sex before. She knew how to play the game; Santana had just caught her off-guard. Challenging, Brittany didn't back away from Santana's space invasion. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she leaned a fraction closer to the brunette. She matched the same playful tone in her sparring partner's voice as she stated. "Maybe it's not just your uncle who has a thing for hot blondes."

"Maybe not." Something shifted in Santana's dark eyes, but Brittany couldn't quite place it.

"Your fresh water." Emma returned and placed four napkins stacked on the counter for Brittany before she noticed the pistachio bowl. "Oh no. Not again. I-um-I'll be back."

She grabbed the bowl and threw it away in a trashcan behind the bar. The entire bowl and all the nuts were tossed just like that and Emma started to rummage through the cabinets to find what Brittany assumed was a replacement bowl.

"Look, Anita, I'm going to help you out." Santana said once they were alone again. The singer's hand crawled finger by finger across the wooden top of the counter and came down onto Brittany's own. The blonde officer felt her entire body catch fire. Her bright blue eyes darted from the hand on hers and back to Santana's face. The brunette's body moved into the tiny space that had separated them. Those lips were so deliciously close. Brittany wanted nothing more than for Santana's flirtation to come to fruition. Britt closed her eyes shut and waited for those plump lips to come to hers. But Santana's forehead grazed Brittany's temple. And instead of her lips, Santana's mouth ran through Brittany's wavy blonde hair and just barely brushed her earlobe. It was the tiniest of touches, but it was enough for Brittany's body to shudder. She had to shut her eyes even tighter. She bit her bottom lip hard to stifle the moan Santana's advances caused.

Whether she was successful or not, Brittany didn't know. She could only feel Santana's other hand trailing up the leather shoulder of her jacket. The Latina's nails lightly dragged up the side of Brittany's neck. Everywhere the singer touched, Brittany's body erupted with sensations. "You're beautiful and you shouldn't hide your face." Santana whispered every word against Brittany's ear.

The blonde had never been so turned on before. Every word worked as its own aphrodisiac. This time the officer did moan. "Or your blue eyes, Anita." Brittany's hand clenched at the edge of the counter underneath Santana's invasive hand. The singer must have noticed. Her fingers worked down Brittany's digits until their hands were locked. Now every squeeze Brittany's hands took to control her writhing body, the Latina felt. "And you definitely don't need anyone's voice in your ear-" The hand Santana had been working up the other side of Brittany's head clutched at the ear piece Brittany had completely forgotten about. "-except for mine."

Flustered and incredibly turned on, Brittany's eyes snapped open as she realized what Santana was doing. Shit! Shit! Shit! She had a job to do!

Brittany attempted to react, but Santana was far too fast. The brunette pulled back from the blonde with sudden sureness. She grabbed the clutch underneath Britt's arm and dropped the ear piece into the department issued bag. Wordlessly, Santana grabbed the new glass of water Emma had brought over. She opened the clutch.

Helpless and completely immobile, Brittany watched as Santana dumped the liquid onto the only means of communication she had with the Candy Van.

"No!" She finally managed to get out. "Why?"

Santana let the ruined and soaking wet clutch stay on the counter as she turned back to Brittany. Her right hand reached up. The back of her hand brushed some hair from Brittany's bewildered expression. "It didn't match your outfit, Anita."

"But-" Frantic, Brittany released Santana's hand from hers.

But Santana gripped her hand harder and forced her to meet her eyes. "Now listen, Anita, if that's even your name. You need to leave now. Or it's going to be bad. Puckerman's men haven't figured out who you are yet, but the Ark security normally lets small details like that out. It's only a matter of time before they come after you."

Brittany glanced around. But Santana's hand gently brushed against her cheek so Brittany's focus returned back to the singer. The back of Santana's hand smoothly coaxed Brittany's eyes back to hers. "Please leave before anything happens to you. Don't make me regret sticking my neck out for you."

Santana left a fifty dollar bill on the bar and stood up from her stool. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. Berry would be looking for her. She was supposed to do a number soon and if Berry was looking for her, then so would security. Puckerman wanted the cop out of here and while it had been fun to flirt and play with the blonde, the Ark had always been life or death. They could play, but this wasn't a game Santana never intended to lose. That meant she had to do as Noah said.

Anita needed more time to leave. She couldn't get caught now. The singer only took one step before she felt a strong grip hold her still. She turned around and met those beautiful blue eyes. This time it was Santana's turn to fall hopelessly lost into another's eyes.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because maybe I do have a thing for hot blondes." Santana flashed her a smooth wink. "Please leave, Anita, I don't want to see you again."

Brittany loosed her grip on Santana's arm. It felt like all the life in the club went with her. Disoriented to everything, Brittany sat there. Her body felt like something was missing. Sure, she still tingled with the feel of that woman so close, but now, she felt a distinct sense of loss.

* * *

"Oh no. Oh my goodness. Oh my."

Brittany shook herself out of the daze Santana Lopez's presence had thrown her into and turned around. Emma stood there with a look of horror on her face.

Oh right.

Emma's job just got infinitely more annoying and Brittany's job had become almost impossible by one action from the same Santana Lopez. She was gone and so was Brittany's only way to communicate to her team.

Shit.

"Oh no. Oh no. I just found another bowl for the nuts and now…what is this?" Emma couldn't even bring herself to touch the soaking wet clutch. Brittany didn't even bother to rifle through its contents. The ear piece and the mic were probably irreparable from the water damage.

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I didn't mean to." Brittany said to try and assuage her.

"It's fine. It's fine. I'll just get a bucket and my gloves and my sanitizer and my face mask and my wood polisher. I should have all of that in my car. I guess now would be a good time to redo the finish. I think Home Depot is open. I wonder how much a sander would cost to rent and some varnish…" Emma continued to talk to herself. Brittany was positive that Emma didn't hear a word she said. She was already gathering supplies and talking to herself softly – something about how she had to start now if she wanted it to be clean before sunrise.

Leaving? That's what she should be doing. Before she could vacate the bar, the lights started to flicker and the music cut off abruptly. The color drained from the cop's face. Could Puckerman's men be coming for her right now? Blue eyes darted around to see if she'd have to make a run for it or blend into the crowd. But no one else seemed concerned. In fact, Brittany saw their eyes were firmly planted on the stage that had been roped off and unused since Brittany had arrived.

The DJ's voice boomed through the speakers. "I want everybody up in this Ark to give a roar for your favorite girl!" The crowd instantly responded. Brittany saw people milling toward the stage with excitement. The bar cleared as they all edged closer to be nearer to the platform. "You come here every night, hoping she'll sing and tonight's your lucky night. I want you all to give an animal welcome to the Ark's exclusive diva, Miss Santana Lopez."

The Ark roared.

And roared.

Brittany's body remained in its exact position on the bar stool. The woman who had completely disarmed her only a few minutes ago walked out from behind the back curtains of the stage. She waved her hands above her head and blew kisses to a few of her most animated fans in the front. The spotlights shone down upon her as she took the microphone from the stand. The smile she flashed at the crowd had them shouting and yelling all over again.

Those dark eyes lifted from the crowd below and made direct contact with sparkling blue from across the club.

Brittany knew Santana had been looking for her. It lasted for only a moment, but it was long enough for the songstress to cast her spell upon the blonde. Brittany remained firmly seated on the stool completely transfixed.

Fingers wrapped around the microphone stand as Santana leaned into the adoration of her fans. "I know you all came here looking for something new, but I decided to throw you a cover instead. This one is dedicated to a person I just met from outside the city." Flushed, Brittany's eyes made contact once more with the singer. Santana threw her wink before she whipped her hair back and demanded the band- "Hit it."

The curtains behind Santana rose and the brass came in right away. It wasn't what Brittany was expecting. The song had a jazzy feel to it and yet the beat was perfect to grind to. The crowd instantly reacted with cheers, but Santana's eyes grew dark as she raised the microphone to her mouth. Her lips pressed against the textured surface of the microphone. The hair on the back of Britt's neck stood straight up as she vividly recalled the pleasure of those lips when they had whispered up against her ear.

"_I've got a bad boy and that's alright with me." _Her voice was low and sensuous, and her body language inviting.

"_His dirty laundry is nothing that I can't keep clean. _

_And when he needs an alibi_

_He can use me all night."_

The way she rolled every word into a seductive insinuation implied sexual suggestions even more illicit than the lyrics did. Brittany's face heated. Santana had purposely decided to sing this song to the undercover cop in the club.

"_(Oooh) What's the fun in playing it safe?_

_(Oooh) I think I'd rather misbehave_

_Your way."_

"_I'm just a bad girl-"_ She threw a playful wink to the adoring crowd. _"-that's why we get along._

_Won't make excuses for anything I'm doing wrong._

_I'll pull the trigger in a flash._

_Watch out honey, step back."_

"_(Oooh) What's the use in playing it safe?_

_(Oooh) Wouldn't you rather misbehave?_

_My way." _

Santana had been working the crowd up for the song. She played to every angle and showcased the band generously. But now she stood up and reinserted the microphone into the stand slot. Her dark eyes were no longer playing for the crowd.

No.

They were firmly locked onto Brittany. Enchanted, Brittany's body forgot how to function under Santana's unflinching gaze. God, it felt like she was standing right in front of her again. The singer's fingers dragged up the microphone stand and it felt like they were scaling the sides of her face again.

"_Oh baby show me the money my evil friend_

_Let's go to Mexico, drink margaritas in sin_

_I'll light a candle for good luck_

_Now come on baby let's..."_

The short gasps she breathed into the microphone were criminal. Britt's body hummed as if Santana had been moaning into her ears alone. Hundreds of people separated them, but Brittany felt Santana's hands had just touched every inch of her body.

"_(Oooh) What's the fun in playing it safe?_

_(Oooh) I think I'd rather misbehave_

_Our way."_

The song was dying down, but Brittany's heart was still beating wildly. Even though Santana was singing to her fans, Brittany felt as if every word was directed to her.

"_We're simply mad._

_Simply mad."_

Britt felt her throat tighten at Santana's last words and the promise in her eyes. She would drive the officer mad – there was no doubt about that.

The music died down and the crowd took over. They were railing against the stage, begging for more. The same DJ took over the speaker. Santana gave one last wave to her crowd before she exited through the curtains. "Hot Dayum! That shit was tight as always. Let's give it up one more time for the beautiful Santana Lopez!"

The lights were turned up. House music started again. Santana was nowhere in sight. Barely functioning, Brittany realized there were other people in the crowd now. And by people – she meant large burly men in dark suits heading in her direction.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Seriously! She had to be the worst undercover cop of all time. Well, except for Sam. He was number one, but she was definitely second on the list.

Shit.

She looked back at the bag on the counter. It was soaking wet and useless now. No time to even try to salvage her equipment. She left it.

The blonde sprang up from the bar and grabbed onto the first drunk girl she saw staggering through the crowd. Drunk and surly women in the bars were impossible to block even in a crowd like this. They always had a way of working through the thickest of crowds. The girl didn't even notice. She just continued to push through bodies and Brittany followed her closely. The blonde glanced behind her and saw the suits were changing their strategy. They were heading to the exits so Brittany wouldn't be able to escape even if she tried. Desperate for a new plan, the officer released the drunken girl's arm and started to go back the way she came. Maybe she could circle around somehow.

But every direction seemed to be quickly filling up with either suits or more bodies. Brittany glanced back to the bar where Emma had been. Emma had exited from the bar through a door. Maybe the suits wouldn't think to seal off the doors in the actual Ark. Brittany shoved and pushed her way through the crowd. They offered little resistance. A few suits saw her moving toward the bar and slowed up their chase. She had no way out. Brittany didn't hesitate, she leapt over the bar counter. The soaking wet clutch Santana had sabotaged cluttered to the floor. Brittany kept moving. She busted through the backdoor behind the bar.

* * *

She entered a dimly lit area. This would buy her a few minutes, but she needed to get the hell out of the Ark. Her eyes scanned the supply area. There were crates and skids of various liquors, napkins, and other supplies for the bar. To her left was a room that looked like a walk-in cold room and more hallways to her right. Britt took off to the right. She needed to put some space between her and those thugs. She needed to find Guppy. And most importantly, she needed to escape.

A few people were talking and walking down the hallway as she passed them. After two or three people, Brittany stopped sprinting. Running through the inner workings of the Ark looked much more suspicious than a woman calmly walking somewhere. Brittany took a deep breath. She needed to calm down. Her heels stopped clicking at such an accelerated rate.

Her breathing started to return to normal as she turned a corner. Nothing but more hallways. How big was this place? It seemed to go on forever! She turned another corner and tried to remain calm. She could do this. There was a reason why the captain chose her and Sam for this assignment.

Brittany frowned as she recognized the answer to the reason why Sue chose them was less than favorable.

She'd prove the captain wrong. She would.

As soon as she got out of here. Directions were not her thing. In fact, she was sure she had gone through this hall before. She could hear boots in the distance behind her, echoing off the concrete floor. Why was everything so dark and confusing back here?

"I think she went down this way!"

"Get the Ark head of security on the line! I want visuals and access to their camera feed!"

"You two go that way!"

Britt heard the guards somewhere behind her splitting up in different directions to find her. Worst plan ever! She was going to die down here in the bottom of the Ark. Sensing the impending danger, she booked it again. Brittany turned yet another corner and prayed that it wouldn't be one she had already been down. Right as she rounded the hall, a hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed her arm forcefully. The momentum of her fast running and the sudden change in direction slammed her body up against the wall.

An arm grasped at her wrists and pinned them against the cold hard cemented wall. Britt struggled, but to no avail.

Well now she was definitely screwed.

* * *

**Thank again for all the alerts and favorites and of course for those of you who leave reviews! They are awesome!**

**I DID post the next chapter for **_**Sirens**_** so if you're looking for a darker version of Brittana crime that would be the place to go. Thanks and have a lovely weekend!**

**Song- Dirty Laundry by Bitter:Sweet**


	3. Chapter 3

**Is it a Crime?**

**1.3 Dirty Laundry**

Even if she was going down, Brittany was determined to go down with a fight. The dimly lit hallway didn't provide her with any clue about her assailant, but she could hear boots in the distance rushing toward her position. It would only be a matter of time before the suits would catch up. She only had one opportunity to escape and she had to get past this person holding her hostage.

"You are a terrible listener." The body pinning her to the wall spoke into the darkness.

A voice Brittany had a feeling she would never forget. The blonde's body instantly stopped struggling. Her eyes dilated and adjusted to the lack of light in this section of the corridor.

"Santana?" Brittany asked and the nature of her attacker's body position instantly transformed. The officer became instantly aware of how close Santana was to her.

"Of course. Were you expecting someone else?" Santana responded back playfully. She leaned back away from Brittany's body so she could peer around the corner. Brittany wanted to look too, but for being so short, the brunette really had a good grip on her leather jacket. After a second, Santana turned back with fire in her eyes. "You were supposed to leave."

"I-was-but-" Brittany shrugged. "I got caught up listening to you."

"I noticed." Santana admitted. Her eyes were still blazing, but amusement rested at the curve of her lips. Brittany loved the way the singer always seemed to be fighting two conflicting emotions at all times. "But not to the important part when I told you to get out."

"I get distracted sometimes…" Britt admitted with a soft blush.

Santana wanted to roll her eyes, but the blonde was so genuine that Santana actually smiled. The undercover cop _did_ seem to get distracted quite often and easily. Santana had managed to get rid of all the blonde's hardware with hardly an effort. And when Santana had taken the stage, the brunette instantly noticed Legs in the back of the club. It had been a long time since Santana had someone that she wanted to sing to or put that much effort into a performance. A few years as Puckerman's songbird and Santana had gotten used to going through the motions. When she saw _Anita_ in the crowd, a fire had lit deep within her.

"I noticed that too." This time her words were much softer. "You need to leave. Those guys aren't the Ark security. Those are Puckerman's thugs looking for you."

Santana sounded more than concerned. Brittany looked into those dark eyes. "Bad?"

"Very bad."

"I was trying to leave, but I'm not so good at directions." Brittany admitted.

"Of course you're not." Santana glanced back down the hallway. Suits were coming their way. Fuck. The brunette glanced around. There were no exits nearby and the suits would definitely hear their heels on the hard floor and come barreling toward them. They only had one choice. Santana turned back to Brittany with a smirk on her face. "What are you good at, _Anita?"_

"Well I did do the best in most of the physicals at the academy. Last week I was able to do the chicken dance the longest at my little sister's wedding. I'm pretty good at smear journalism. I've been told I can dance well. My lieutenant said I wrote the nicest parking tickets. Although, I don't think that was a compliment. I have been told my fingers are magi-"

"Shh…" Santana whispered and in the same motion both of her hands grabbed at the lapels of Brittany's leather jacket. She tugged for leverage since even in heels, Brittany still had height on her. It wasn't Santana's request for silence that quelled the officer, but the press of Santana's lips. Without permission, the singer had thrust herself upward into Brittany's unsuspecting body. Her weight and the element of surprise didn't allow the blonde to protest.

Not that she would.

Brittany blinked hard as she felt Santana's mouth fully open over hers. It took only a half a second before Brittany's body caught on fire. As Santana pulled the leather jacket up, Brittany's hands moved down. They ran over the sides of Santana's criminally tight dress and gripped at the material to find purchase. Her hands stopped at Santana's hips. The singer's mouth opened just a little further and her tongue ran along Britt's bottom lip. The officer moaned. She could feel the brunette smirk right before her teeth slowly sank. Britt's heart was racing and she shut her eyes.

Santana's finger lifted and ran along the bottom of her jaw. Her nails scraped and outlined and created goose bumps all over her body. Emboldened by Santana's advances, Brittany's hands adjusted. They slid around the singer's waist and slipped underneath her tight ass.

"Uh-" Santana made the most delicious noise as Britt's hand lifted her even higher up her body. The singer's right heel dangled as her thigh grazed upward to the hem of Brittany's short dress. One hand released the jacket. It drove straight into Brittany's long blonde hair. It gripped mercilessly in response to Brittany's leg driving forward between Santana's spread legs. Wanton and full of desire, the singer rubbed against Britt's offered leg and tried to relieve some of the tension. She couldn't remember the last time _she_ had been the one helplessly surrendering to another woman. Santana was used to being the aggressor. The hands on her ass tightened. They provided her little option but to rub harder and harder down on Brittany's thigh. It was maddening. For a second, she pulled back from the kiss to suck in a deep and needed breath. Relentless, the blonde rushed to reconnect their mouths. Her tongue ran along her lips and caressed hers.

Their hearts and bodies were rocking so hard against the concrete wall of the Ark, they didn't even notice the suits running past them.

"You see this?" One of them asked, but was dragged away.

Neither woman noticed.

"Fuck." Santana breathed out, but it was barely audible as the blonde inhaled the word before it passed those generous lips. This was better than singing. It was like all the high notes were electrifying and all the low notes that would vibrate deep within were crashing together.

Bang.

A loud noise of a door slamming shut startled the two. Regrettably, Santana pulled away from the blonde. Her dark eyes darted to the left and right to make sure no one remained in their dark part of the hallway.

Britt's face turned red once again as she realized her hands were still squeezing the singer's backside. Slowly, she drew her hands away. Santana turned back. Her tongue ran along her lips and tried to savor the lingering taste. Their eyes met. The officer tried to form words, but besides having just experienced the best kiss of her life, she was sure Santana had stolen all of her abilities to speak. "I-uh-"

Santana's eyes dropped back to Brittany's lips as those cute syllables escaped. Fuck. She wanted to kiss her again. She tried to ignore the sensation of her abs clenching from desire or the way she could hardly breathe.

Another noise sounded and echoed through the halls. They still needed to escape.

"At least I know something you're good at." Santana teased and licked her lips again. Again, Brittany felt Santana's words spread like wildfire against her skin. It wasn't even like the singer was trying, and yet, every time she opened her mouth, Brittany lost herself. Before she could even ask what Santana thought she was good at or if Santana knew where she was going, the singer had grasped onto her hand and they were walking at a brisk pace through the corridors. "Come on, _Anita,_ it's time to get you out of here."

* * *

"This is where the singers and performers have a few rooms. We should be able to lay low for a few minutes before we can make a break for the back exit." Santana said matter-of-factly. They were standing together.

At least there was more light here and it seemed like the club was much closer. Brittany could feel the beat of the bass through the walls and even voices singing or screaming. But the officer didn't care. No, her attention was drawn to the door with the name: S. Lopez. It was written in gold lettering and was closed. Santana must have noticed the direction of Brittany's eyes, but said nothing.

Brittany didn't even get a chance to see if there were other names on other doors because footsteps were once again approaching them.

"Round two?" Brittany eagerly asked, but Santana didn't answer. The singer's lips were already pursed and seeking Britt's mouth. The tingling sensation that had been slowly dissipating since they disconnected minutes ago burst. God, she could get used to this.

The footsteps were right behind Santana and faded quickly. Santana didn't want to do anything that would break them apart this time.

A hand shot down on the singer's shoulder and whipped her around to the eyes of a very angry and pissed off co-worker.

"Mmmh-" Her tongue clicked in disapproval. "I know you did not just ignore me, Santana Lopez. How dumb do you think I am? Macking out here with-"

She finally looked at Brittany and the officer didn't know whether to give her a serious face or to express how she was really feeling – turned on and horny. Instead she kinda just waved.

"-sexy hot blonde thing." The black woman quirked an eye brow up at the wave. "Yeah, I see you back there." And Brittany shrugged at the description. She'd say it was accurate. Nothing to complain about there. "When I've been covering for your ass for the past hour. Where the hell you been? Should have known you'd be chomping down on a killer blonde with legs."

"Cedes, chill out." Santana flipped her hair back and rolled her eyes.

"Oh chill out? I am chill. You don't want to see me angry right now. Do you know Puck's men are all over the place and you're telling me to chill. I heard there's a cop and everyone's in a panic and no one knows where you are. So they all come to me like I'm supposed to be your babysitter or something."

"Can you chill with the yelling?" Santana whispered forcefully and before Mercedes could rear up to give her friend a piece of her mind, the Latina cut her off. "I know there's a cop and that Puckerman's men are everywhere because…"

Brittany was waving again.

"Oh no." Mercedes shook her head. "Oh no. You are not telling me that sexy blonde legs is a cop. Honey-" She turned back to Brittany. "-you have got to be the cutest cop I've ever seen, which means you ain't a cop. I don't know what little role play Puckerman paid you to perform for my girl, but you need to give it up now cause I don't think you could convince the biggest douchebag in the Ark that you are a cop unless you have some fuzzy handcuffs you're hiding in that dress of yours." Brittany went to respond, but Mercedes wasn't done yet. "Not that you could hide much in that outfit."

Santana's brain fizzled out around the word handcuff, but came back as she realized her "sexy blonde" cop was totally scrambling for something to say. "Back off, Mercedes, she's definitely a cop and she definitely needs to get out of here."

"Yeah, still not convinced, but she does need to get out of here." Mercedes shook her head. "Cause what they do to cops ain't pretty. At least that's what I've heard."

"I don't really feel like sticking around for that. There's got to be like a way out." Brittany played with her hand and looked down. It was a moot point to argue with this Mercedes if she was cop or not. The words played over in her head. Her stomach dropped. "What do you mean about cops?"

"I mean it isn't pretty." Mercedes gave her a look.

"I need to find my Guppy!" Britt burst out.

Now both Santana and Mercedes turned around. "Your what?"

"Where did you pick this girl up, Tan? Are you sure you aren't getting played?"

"No! He's definitely in danger. Where would they have taken a cop?" Brittany pleaded. And even though Mercedes was the one with all the information, those bright blue eyes were begging Santana for assistance.

"I thought you said she was the cop…" Mercedes was not following.

"What if I wasn't the only one? Where would they have taken a cop?" Brittany implored.

"We're leaving, Cedes." Santana curtly said before her friend could question the blonde again.

"Wait. Why help me all this way and leave me?" Britt sincerely questioned.

"I'm not leaving you, but we can't stay here. If the only way to get you to leave the Ark is for you to find your 'Guppy' or whatever. I'll help you. Okay?" Santana snapped more aggressively than she intended, but she wasn't used to doing something selflessly. It felt awkward and she wasn't sure she liked it very much, but she did like the smile it put onto Leg's face.

"I should just go into my room and say I never saw you." Mercedes grumbled, but she was already walking next to the two other women. "Walking into Puckerman's den with fake-cop and whipped Lopez is definitely the worst decision I made all week."

* * *

Puckerman's thugs had their own room in the basement of the Ark. It was a place no one ever wanted to go. There was nothing incriminating, but his thugs regularly played cards and gambled down there and they were unsavory. Anyone who valued their lives or at least their faces intact avoided Puck's men. The three women had made it through the Ark with little resistance. Most of Puckerman's men had been called off to search for undercover cop so they weren't anywhere near their usual base of operation.

"It's down here." Mercedes whispered. She slipped up against the door and peered into the small window, but didn't see anyone inside. "I think they are all out looking for you. It looks empty in here. Are you sure you're going to find your 'Guppy' or whatever?"

"Please. I can't leave until I at least see if he's here."

"Whatever. Just open the door, Cedes, so we can get her out of here and look at least slightly less suspicious to Puckerman when he asks what we were doing."

Mercedes nodded in agreement. They did need to get this escape going. Her hand turned the door handle and pushed it open, but they didn't see anyone. Cards were on a small round table and a few packs of beer were on a counter that appeared to be a kitchen area. However many thugs there had been, it looked like they had all scurried off in a hurry.

"No one's here. Can I get you out of here, yet?" Santana asked impatiently. Every moment they lingered was a moment they could get caught.

"There's a door back here. Let me check it out first and then we can go." Brittany said. She picked her away around the mess Puckerman's men had left and peered into the window of the backdoor, but it was dark. She could barely make anything out. But there was a light on the wall next to the door. Didn't hurt to try. She flicked it on.

A figure was tied to a chair in the center of the room. The man's hands were bound to the frame of the wooden chair and his head hung low. His blonde hair was messed up and his head flipped into the air at the sudden return of light.

"Sam!" Brittany yelled. The blonde officer wasted no time. The door hadn't been locked, so she entered swiftly and ran toward him. "I can't believe I found you!"

Her partner flashed her the biggest smile as Brittany bound across the floor and landed in his lap. She kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair. Sam chuckled a little, but it turned into a rough cough. "I thought maybe you forgot about me."

"Well I did for a little while because I met this-" Brittany realized that Sam was no longer listening to him, but his attention was on the door.

Mercedes had just entered the room with an amused smile on her face followed immediately by Santana.

"Oh my god!" The singer practically screamed as she caught sight of Sam in the chair. "What did they do to you?"

"Wha?" Sam uttered out in confusion.

"Why would they only bruise your lips? Did they inject you with cologne as torture? Cause that's fucked up. I can't even look at you!" Santana's face scrunched up. "That's got to be the most disturbing torture technique I've ever heard of!"

Brittany snorted out a laugh even if Sam wasn't really smiling. "Those are just his lips. That's why he's called Guppy."

"I can see that…" Santana replied laconically. After her initial shock, she was beginning to notice other things about him. Like how comfortable Brittany was in his lap and the way she smiled for him. Maybe Guppy was more to this woman than she originally mentioned. "Get Trouty Mouth untied so we can roll out of here safely."

"It's Guppy." Sam tried to correct.

"Really you have a preference? Is there really that much of a difference? It's still a fish and those are still some huge lips." Santana retorted.

"Aww back off, San, they're cute and that's the difference between Guppy and Trouty. And I say they are most definitely guppy lips." Mercedes quickly added in his defense.

"Ugh. Whatever." Santana threw her hands in the air with exasperation, but she had a feeling it had nothing to do with the intricacies of fish anatomy or fish lips or whatever Mercedes had been talking about. Sam wrapped his arm around Britt's waist as he stood up from the chair. No, Santana was sure her sour mood had nothing to do with fish. But perhaps everything to do with fish boy. Her eyes narrowed. "Lez go."

There was a backdoor out to a smoking area that Puckerman's thugs used. Again, it seemed as if they had dodged a bullet. The four of them walked together. Sam's arm draped over Brittany's shoulder as he struggled to walk. Maybe they didn't hit his face, but he was definitely smarting a few bruises. Santana lingered a few paces behind the two blondes with Mercedes. Her dark eyes followed the blonde man's every movement.

"This whole thing was really stupid, Tan." Mercedes whispered to her best friend. Santana's glares hadn't escaped her. She waited till the two blondes were out of earshot. "You are so close to getting out of this pit. Why are you even helping her out?"

Santana hated direct questions to her motives. Cause she didn't even know them most of the time. It was something about how this woman_, Anita_, had made her feel. It was something she had forgotten long ago. "Whatever, Cedes. Nothing bad happened so no big deal."

"I hear you, but I still think this wasn't smart. Although…" Her eyes drifted to Sam's backside. "He is pretty cute."

"Shut it. Obviously, they're together or whatever." Santana mumbled even as Legs slowed up and half-glanced behind them.

"Oh you shut up. Did you see her? She's totally into you." Mercedes rolled her eyes even before Santana had a chance to. The Latina's lips pursed together in frustration that Mercedes knew her so well. "You're so stubborn sometimes. I guess I'll do all the heavy lifting."

"What?" Santana gave her friend a look, but Mercedes was strutting toward the two cops. She hooked her right arm underneath Sam's dangling one.

"How about I take over from here?" Mercedes offered both blondes a soft smile. "We're only about two blocks away from the entrance of the club. So we should get you out of here in no time."

The dark alleyway didn't seem so bad when there were four of them. Sam didn't even look at Britt as Mercedes took on some of his weight. In fact, the way he jerked the one arm Britt did have a hold off made the blonde officer think that he was perhaps trying to tell her something. He jerked it even more and gave her a look.

Right, bad wingman move.

Brittany stepped back and allowed Mercedes to deal with all of Sam. While it was cute, Brittany could see him struggling to pull himself upright so he wouldn't look like he was hurting from whatever beating he received from Puckerman's thugs. Now with nothing to do, Britt was distinctly aware of the singer lingering behind them. Britt stopped and turned around expecting to see Santana smiling again, but instead there was nothing there. Odd.

"Hey…" Brittany said when they were finally walking at the same pace. "I just wanted to thank you for…everything. I don't think we would have made it out of there without you."

"It's fine. Don't mention it. It's this weakness for blondes, I need to fix that." Santana mumbled and refused to look at the officer. She held her arm tight around her body and cussed at herself for being so sullen at the moment. But she was cold and annoyed and Trouty Face had come out of nowhere.

"No." Brittany stopped walking and placed her hand on Santana's arm. "Really, thank you."

Those bright blue eyes that had been so visible across the entire Ark – through the lights, above the sea of people, and in the back of the club - were now completely on her. Santana lost the words she had been about to say. No one affected her like this. Ever. "I-"

Brittany graciously smiled, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sure Trouty would have saved you or something." Santana blurted out.

Despite Santana's awkward attempt to deflect her, Brittany just continued to smile. "Nah. He's like a fish out of water. Get it?"

Brittany made an obnoxious wink and laughed. Santana hated to react, but the blonde's amusement was infectious. A weak smile cracked her lips.

"Yeah, he seems pretty helpless." Santana didn't even glance toward her best friend and the man. Her eyes were firmly set upon Brittany. It didn't last long. Again, the blonde surprised her as she removed her leather jacket from her shoulders and wrapped it around Santana's bare shoulders.

"You look cold."

Santana wanted to push the jacket off, but it felt warm, comfortable, and inviting. She didn't let people treat her like this and she didn't want to. "I'm fine really."

"Just wear it till we break up." Brittany said with a smile. "I'm good. I've been wearing it all night."

"Look, Anita." Santana stopped walking. And released a great sigh. "You have to promise me that you won't come back here."

Sam and Mercedes were at the end of the street and staring back at them. This is where they would part ways. Brittany didn't pay them any heed.

"Why?"

"Because we-you won't be so lucky next time. "

"But I want to say see you around."

"Don't…" Santana warned.

"If that's what you want." Brittany whispered silently.

It wasn't what she wanted, but it was the only way. Tonight had been reckless and stupid. If she was ever going to escape Puckerman's thumb, she would have to go back to playing it smart. With regret, Santana said firmly. "It is, _Anita_."

Britt didn't respond. Despite almost dying and getting caught a few times tonight, she had a pretty good time – a very unproductive time, but good. And all because of Santana. She wanted to thank her some way. She leaned in close like Santana had done on the barstool. "It's Brittany." She said her name and sealed it with the lightest kiss as though it would forever mark those lips with the truth for Santana to keep forever. Santana's face flushed. She was used to being the aggressor and this woman, this Brittany, had completely dismantled her with a single kiss.

Santana felt heat rush to her cheeks at the advances of a woman she had just convinced herself was straight or at least with Trout-face. Now, her whole body grew warm again. The leather jacket around her shoulders took on a whole new meaning. And when _Brittany_ pulled back, Santana wanted to wrap her arms around her once more.

But as she opened her eyes, the blonde was already running down the street to catch up with Sam. In a daze, Santana lifted her fingers her lips. "_Brittany."_

Santana raised her eyes and wanted to say that she wish she would see Brittany around, but the blondes had already turned the corner. Mercedes stood there with a questioning look on her face. When she nodded to Santana's jacket, it was then the singer realized Brittany had left her jacket with her. Secretly, Santana wished she had done it so they would see each other again. The practical part of her wished Brittany would heed her warnings and stay the hell away from the Ark. With irritation, Santana reminded herself that she had helped the cop escape the Ark for Puckerman. He had wanted the cop taken care of without making a mess like his boys would make. She had done it all for him. When she was finally free of the Ark and Puckerman's control, then maybe she would be able to think about hot blondes with killer legs and smiles that set her heart aflutter.

But until then…

Santana linked arms with Mercedes and they walked back to the entrance of the Ark together.

* * *

**Thanks a lot for all the alerts and reviews! I'll be posting a new chapter of **_**Sirens**_** next and then back to **_**IIAC**_**!**

**Have a lovely week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and adds! I'm totally astounded! This started as a little break from **_**Sirens**_**, but I love hearing that everyone's enjoying it as much as I am.**

**And I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that Brittany won't be able to listen to Santana's instructions to stay away. ;)**

* * *

**Is it a Crime?**

**2.1 Oops**

Rainbow attached to rocket ship flying over a UFO.

Serious face with cowboy hat riding a car.

Cat.

Cat.

Fat cat.

Fat cat with cheese.

Cat.

Apple holding a Fruit Senate featuring the Speaker of the House – Tomato.

The last one made Sam Evans take a closer look before he pulled the parking ticket from the windshield of the illegally parked sedan. The Fruit Senate was definitely the most creative of his partner's tickets this morning. However, with the last ten or so, he noticed none of her creations had been smiling. Instead, all of her drawings were distinctly frowning or distracted – much like their creator. Sam Evans sighed as he wrote out the real ticket and replaced it. The drawings were tucked into his pockets.

He glanced up. Brittany was already four cars ahead of him. It was an important day for ticketing since there was some sort of seasonal parade. Therefore it meant almost no one paid attention to the posting which explicitly stated: No Parking.

The blonde police officer had her notepad out and was scribbling yet another picture. Sam could only imagine what she was drawing now, but he had a feeling whatever creature she drew, they would be just as sad as the Fruit Senate.

"Britt!" Sam called out to her, but she continued to throw papers onto the windshields of cars. "Brittany! Hold up!"

He grunted in pain as he jogged after her. All the bruising from the welcome committee at the Ark had yet to fully heal. Brittany's bopping blonde ponytail froze in midair and dropped. She turned around to face him from up the street. Even though they weren't siblings, they had always shared a sort of bond. Sam could see she wasn't okay.

"Why are you running off? We can't split up or get into anymore trouble." Sam sighed, thinking about the debacle that had been their very first, and probably last, assignment ever. Captain Sylvester had all but declared them the most incompetent task force ever assembled.

"The captain already chewed our asses out." Sam muttered thinking about the K-9 unit she literally released on them to do just that. They were only about to escape because Mike had been driving the Candy Van into the lot at the same time Sue had released the dogs leashes. Mike had thrown open the side door right as the dogs were about to rip them apart.

They drove away to the sound of Sue's maniacal laughter.

"I don't know…" Brittany admitted as she stuck yet another piece of paper onto the windshield in front of them. Sam glanced down. It was a pistachio nut with long hair singing into a microphone to an audience of one. "I've been distracted."

"I could have told you that." Sam joked and hit his shoulder into hers. "You've been all weird since the other night at the Ark. And since they found another body."

"Yeah, I guess I'm still not over how you almost died. And other stuff that happened there."

Sam smiled. "Ha. You barely even remembered to rescue me in the Ark. You were far too busy with that Santana chick to even think about me."

Brittany fidgeted with the cap of her police uniform and pushed the brim down to hide her face. "I didn't forget you…"

Sam laughed as he watched his partner blush. "You really are still thinking about her."

"Sometimes…" Brittany admitted.

"Why don't you go back?"

"Cause I promised her I wouldn't."

"Yeah, but she couldn't have meant it. I saw the way she looked at you." Sam encouraged, but quickly added. "And for that matter, the way she looked at me. If she had a weapon, it would have been pointed right at me after you hugged me."

"She really looked like that?" The blonde smiled at the thought of Santana being jealous of her partner. Sam didn't feel the same way. Seriously, that Santana chick had been scary. Brittany's pen moved up and down on the pad in lines as she thought. "I technically promised her I'd never come back to the Ark as Anita."

"So maybe you could go back as Brittany?"

The smile Sam had been missing for the past week returned as Brittany turned to him with her bright blue eyes. "You think I could?"

"Yeah, definitely, but maybe we could get you a better disguise, because I'm sure they would remember you."

"You're the best partner ever!" Brittany hugged him. He was sure that people on the street were rather intrigued by two fully uniformed officers "hugging it out," but it was hard to care when Brittany was finally smiling again. The last "ticket" he replaced from Brittany was one of a simple smiley face. He picked it up, but noticed the backside also had a picture on it. There was just a small heart in the top corner. Carefully, he folded the piece of paper and tucked it into the breast pocket of his uniform.

* * *

"Girl, you are more insufferable every day." Mercedes hummed in the dressing room. "Seriously, I know we hate this gig, but if you're going to keep moping around here all day, I'm going to start hanging out with Berry. And _she's_ the queen of insufferable."

Santana groaned and threw a few bobby pins in Mercedes' direction. "Fuck you, Cedes. You know no matter what mood I'm in, I'm way better than BerryGuard."

They both laughed.

"Fine, but snap out of whatever funk you're in cause Puckerman's going to realize that you've been acting strange."

"No, I haven't." Santana's eyes glanced to the closet in her dressing room. Underneath a pile of shoes and some sweatpants, in a zipped bag, a certain jacket and a damaged purse were hidden from sight, but not from her mind.

"You refused a girl he sent you, Tana." Mercedes clicked her tongue. "He's asking if you're sick and if it's terminal."

"God, you're all so dramatic. I didn't want to fuck that girl last night and now I have cancer?"

"Cancer? Who's being dramatic now?" Mercedes chided her friend. "But I wouldn't say that too loud or he might really believe it."

"I'm so sick of being here, Cedes." Santana sighed. Her eyes finally pulled away from the closet back to Mercedes in the mirror.

"Now _that_ I definitely wouldn't advertise too loudly." Mercedes hushed. "You remember what happened to that Sunshine chick. She's still working the streets and his crack house down on 11th because Puckerman heard she wanted to get out. So you keep that shit tight and you wrap it up."

Santana gulped down her response. If anything, Mercedes was a good friend and this was her way of caring. Of course she remembered Sunshine. That girl could sing, but when Noah caught wind that she might bounce out on her contract with him, he sent her away and they never heard from her again. Only rumors. But those rumors didn't come lightly or without legit sources. Berry had been the one to hand Sunshine over to Puckerman's thugs. The Ark head of security had felt incredibly guilty doing so and had confided with Mercedes and Santana about the entire affair. It had been sobering.

"Whatever."

"That's better." Mercedes nodded her approval and started to reapply her make-up. "Now what are you going to do tonight if Puckerman sends you a girl?"

"Fuck her hard and make sure he knows exactly where I am."

"Good girl." But her friend wasn't done. "On to other more exciting and even more perplexing events. What's this I hear about you helping that spazzy bartender the other night?"

"What?" Santana's heart fluttered at the thought of the cop's purse in her closet along with the leather jacket.

"What do you mean 'what'? Don't give me that dumbass look. You know I can tell when you're avoiding something." Mercedes finished her mascara and was touching up her outfit. "I heard from one of the security guards that you were helping that Emma girl clean up her station; like mopping and scrubbing and taking the trash out."

"Ha." Santana tried to sound innocent, feigning offense that Mercedes would ever think such a thing. Even if that thing was the truth. After Brittany had taken off, Santana needed more closure and she thought she would find it by cleaning up the remnants of the police officer. Emma had been scrubbing her station for hours and Santana offered to help clean up after the Ark had shut down. But even after Santana had washed the bar counter ten times for Emma and thrown out the soaking wet, only to pick it back up a second later, she couldn't shake the electric current still coursing through her body from _Brittany_. The very thought of that whispered name sent a shudder down her spine. "Why would I help her? That bird's crazy. Besides, when have you ever seen me clean?"

"Yeah…" Mercedes stopped playing with her hair and shot Santana an inquisitive look. "That's why I thought it was strange too."

They both laughed, but Santana knew her friend wasn't easily fooled. She also realized despite the general uneasiness Puck's presence caused and how disgusting he could be, he wasn't an idiot either. If Mercedes was noticing her off behavior, he would too. She needed to get rid of all thoughts of a certain blonde by the end of tonight.

No matter what, she would throw out the jacket and the clutch in the dumpster. Then she could move on and forget about the cop. Besides, she wasn't coming back. Santana had made sure of that.

* * *

"I just don't understand what the problem was with the last one I sent." Puck had his fingers curling around in Santana's dark hair. His eyes were actively assaulting every part of her exposed body. Used to the attention, Santana ignored his roving eyes and focused on the crowds beneath them. The night was already in full swing, as was the Ark. It was a special night for certain patrons and Santana Lopez's presence was required.

"I just didn't like her." Santana brushed off his question with the roll of her eyes.

"She was blonde."

Not the right one, but Santana held back. "So? I can be picky."

"She was a model."

"Whatever."

Puck bristled at her curt dismissal. He didn't mind her attitude. In fact, it was part of her appeal, but he didn't expect the attitude to be directed at him. Before Santana could roll her eyes again, Puck roughly caught her chin with his finger. She was forced to turn back into him.

"Next time I send you a girl I don't care if you stay up watching Themla & Louise the room. You fucking take her." He tilted her chin up. Santana tried to keep her temper in check, but her eyes blazed like fires. "Understand me?"

"Yes."

He dropped her chin and started to stroke her lower back. "Now about tonight…"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to be in our room. I've got some business to take care of and that means I need a place to be."

He needed an alibi. Santana felt excitement swell. Anxious and cautious so as to not raise his ire, Santana gently reminded him. "This is supposed to be my last time…"

"Is it?" Puck asked with a smirk on his face. "I guess it is. We'll see how tonight goes and maybe we will have time to renegotiate your contract."

"You mean it?"

Puck's smirk darkened, but Santana was too occupied with thoughts of finally finishing her term at the Ark to notice. "We'll talk about it."

"Thank you."

"Show me how thankful you are." Noah cupped her chin again for a stolen kiss. Even he was surprised at the smile he felt grace his lips from his little songbird. As he pulled back, Puck's fingers lingered around her neckline. "Should I procure some entertainment for the night?"

Her skin crawled at the very feel of his territorial display. Santana's eyes drifted away from his. There were times when pretending to be his girl were less tolerable than others. This past week had been the worst. Her eyes darted away and down below to the crowd beneath them. Bodies were pulsing back and forth with each other in a primal dance of need and desire. Santana longed to escape to the crowd – to blend in and become nothing again. But she knew that was impossible now. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his fingers dancing along the underside of her chin.

"Tana, do you need me to find something blonde with a pussy to keep you occupied in our room tonight?" His impatience was growing.

Santana didn't care. God how she hated him.

Dark eyes remained in the crowd, but a pair of legs she recognized stood out. Santana blinked and then blinked harder as she focused. The legs belonged to a beautiful woman. They ran up and connected to a very short tight fitting black skirt that hugged an ass Santana could only imagine grinding into her. All the moisture in her mouth evaporated. Bright blue eyes cut through the dim lighting of the club and made contact with her directly. Santana's heart stopped beating.

_Brittany._

But her terrible undercover cop was no longer blonde tonight. She wore a dark wig with straight black hair and horrible bangs that cut across her forehead like a reincarnation of Cher. Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if she bought her wig at a Halloween store.

What was she doing here?

Santana didn't care. After a week when all her thoughts somehow circled back to the undercover cop, it seemed like a wish fulfilling dream to see Legs staring up at her. The small smile Brittany flashed her from underneath that wig was enough to make Santana's heart start again, but this time it was beating so hard that she wondered if it would drown out the bass of the house music in the Ark.

"Yo, Lopez, I'm fucking talking to you. What the fuck has been wrong with you?" Puckerman growled. Santana instantly snapped back into the moment. Her eyes darted from the floor and up into her "manager's" scowl. His fingers were back around her throat in a real threatening manner. His eyes bore through the small space separating them.

Santana attempted to suck in some air, but the constraint on her throat made it difficult. "I'll be good. I think I might try something new tonight."

Puckerman held her for a few seconds longer to drive home the point that she belonged to him. Finally, he loosened his grip and slipped his hands back down to her bare shoulders. "You better be in the fucking suite tonight. Don't fuck up."

"I won't." She started to say, but his lips were once again on hers. His hands were drifting all over her body and running down the sides of her arms. Obliged to fulfill the image of his perfect singing slut, Santana opened her mouth as his tongue invaded. But all she could think about was the cop standing below. She risked a side-glance to see if Brittany was still there, but Santana couldn't get a good view. Puck's body blocked everything.

"Then I'll see you tonight." Puck pulled back and even though they agreed to "meet", Santana didn't want to know what he was really doing. When they had first started their "relationship", Santana had been curious, but after witnessing a bad deal go down – the blood, the body, the way they had disposed of some random person on the street – Santana's curiosity had been sated. It was better to not know what Puck was doing when he was supposed to be doing her.

To play along with his alibi, Santana mustered the fakest and sweetest smile possible. "Can't wait."

The moment Puckerman headed through the VIP section of the Ark flanked by his goons, Santana rushed to the railing. The sea of people swelled and ebbed at the edges of the different bars and the stage where the DJ booth was set up for the rest of the night. Her eyes frantically scanned the crowd for the disguised cop, but couldn't quite find her.

"Fuck." Santana could only imagine what Brittany saw – Puckerman's tongue down her throat.

"Ms. Lopez, I was told that you need to start getting ready for the special private event tonight."

"Just give me a moment." Santana dismissed the guard's urges. Maybe she had been crazy. But she knew it had been Brittany. Those eyes. She would never mistake those eyes.

And just like that, Santana found them. Unreadable and yet clear as a summer sky, Brittany's gaze focused upward. Santana couldn't tell if Brittany had witnessed Puckerman's rough hands or if she caught his invasive kiss. It felt like dream. In fact, it felt like a dream Santana had been fabricating in her fantasies all week. Her fingers subtly touched the top of her collarbone as those eyes below worked their way up the crowd to the balcony's edge. Slowly, Santana vividly felt Brittany's sensuous gaze drift from her lower body – her ankles, her calves, up her knees and around her thighs to the hem of her dress. Every inch of her body caved and wished to be taken in by those eyes. And so as Brittany's eyes worked up, Santana's fingers stroked down her collarbone, down her sternum, and caressed the top of her pushed up breasts.

"Fuck." The word trickled from her parted lips in a much different fashion than before. She could feel herself melting in Brittany's uncompromising gaze and as she turned to liquid, Santana wished for the cop to drink every last drop.

"Ms. Lopez?" The guard behind her coughed uncomfortably. Perhaps, he could feel the heat radiating from her body under Brittany's intense gaze.

"I'm coming." Santana half-heartedly muttered in reply. A smirk tugged at the side of her mouth. "And I have a mission for you as well."

Santana's pointer and middle finger pressed against her pursed lips. They lingered for a moment before her hand pulled away from her mouth. For a delicious second, Santana imagined her blown kiss floating through the club and landing squarely on the officer's lips. It would only be a matter of time before she could taste those lips again. Santana batted her eyes one last time and threw the cop a wink before she followed her body guard/babysitter away.

* * *

Even in the crowds of people and the music, Brittany felt like she floating above it all. Her heart was beating uncontrollably and her eyes were dilated. Everything seemed to be moving around her, but she was anchored to those dark eyes.

The officer didn't know what she expected when she slipped past the Ark's security with another fake ID, courtesy of Mike's connections, and entered the club. Santana's warning had been serious and in earnest, but she had been a mess since that night at the Ark. In some way, Britt had been hoping that she would enter the Ark and then leave. It was foolish to expect to see the elusive diva in the club unless she was scheduled to sing or to appear on Puckerman's arm.

Of all the scenarios and fantasies she had, Britt had not expected to see Santana not only on Puckerman's arm, but draped and displayed on it. Brittany's stomach had turned at the sight. She had been so stupid to think they had anything special between them when it was a known fact Santana was Puck's girl. Whatever game they had been playing that night of the undercover recon mission, Brittany should have known it was a game and left it at that. Anger boiled in her as Puck's fingers tightened around Santana's throat. Even from this distance, the blonde spotted the red marks left from his aggression. Brittany took a deep breath. This was Santana's life. Obviously, she chose to be with Puckerman and she had been a fool to think Santana wanted to see her again.

Brittany remembered the promise she had made – to never return. She should have listened.

Britt had been about to leave when Santana's eyes met hers from the top balcony in the VIP section. Just like the last time their eyes connected in the Ark, Santana cast a spell on her. Riveted to the floor, everyone around them disappeared. Even though Puckerman's hands and body were pressed to the singer's, Brittany knew Santana only had eyes for her. Brittany didn't care what anyone said or what the dossiers reported on Santana and Puckerman, the way Santana's eyes always seemed to linger on Brittany meant she was anything but Puckerman's girl.

Brittany could feel Santana's lips on hers once again.

Then she vanished.

Suddenly the life and club crashed back around her. Startled, Brittany didn't know how to react. The world seemed harsh when cast against those flawless lips and beautiful eyes. Lost, Brittany's eyes glanced back up to the VIP section hoping to see Santana again. But after a few minutes, Brittany realized the brunette wouldn't return.

But that look.

Brittany considered leaving the Ark, but Santana's eyes lingered all over her. Now, she couldn't leave, not until she knew for certain Santana didn't want her around. A few minutes later, Brittany was sipping a whiskey sour at Emma's bar. Every time she brought the drink to her lips, four new napkins were stacked neatly on the counter underneath. Emma was fidgeting and nervously glancing around, but she didn't remember Britt from the other night. Maybe the wig was working.

Shit.

A suit.

Right as Brittany was beginning to feel comfortable in her disguise, she noticed a single suited man walking toward her. He wore aviator sunglasses and was carrying a small package.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Stuck in the Ark with no backup, no partner, and no one to know how or why she disappeared. Great. Best cop ever. Maybe Captain Sylvester had been right to put her back on traffic duty. No escape. It would be better to go quietly than to start a commotion. Besides, there was only one guard coming toward her, maybe if she played it cool, she'd be able to slip away in the crowd.

She pretended not to notice the man rapidly approaching her position at the bar.

"Ma'am?" He politely asked.

Brittany sucked in her breath. If only she could get a distraction or something to break away from him. Then she could leave and this time, she would never come back. Why would she ever listen to Sam? This was his idea and he was without a doubt, the worst undercover cop ever.

BLD!

Bad life decision!

She suppressed her inner panic and smiled sweetly to the Ark security guard. "Yes?"

"I was told to give this to you."

He held out the package in her hand. It was a small black box wrapped with a deep purple ribbon. Curious, Brittany pulled the knot and opened the box. On purple velvet, a beautiful custom card with gold inlay lettering lay face up. It read: _The bearer of the card is summoned to the Animal Cage._

"Wait!" Britt called out to the guard as he was turning to leave. "What does this mean?"

"It's your lucky night." He pointed to the back section of the club where guards were stationed in front of large wooden doors. "You've been invited to the most exclusive party of the season."

"When?"

"Right now. It's the biggest event of the year." He shrugged. "You've got to know some very important people to get an invitation like that."

"The Animal Cage?" It didn't sound like the greatest place to be. In fact, it sounded like some sort of prison or one of those shady grey places. Brittany wasn't up-to-date on the whole thing, but she had a feeling there were 50 of them, so it stood to reason one of them could be in the Ark.

"It's the hottest place in the city and only _paying_ members are invited."

Brittany flipped the card over. In beautifully hand-written script, it read: _To my Anita._

Now, Brittany's heart stopped. The word _my_ stood out in the dark ink against the pure white background of the card.

Santana was calling her.

"What do I do?"

"Just present your invitation at the door. Everything else is taken care of." The guard walked away.

Brittany sat on the stool for only a second before she placed her drink down. She made her way through the crowd toward the Animal Cage. There had been no information written on the Animal Cage, but the police who had done the original write-up, hypothesized, Puckerman had all sorts of backrooms for private sessions with his girls or high paying clients – the kind only the richest could afford.

* * *

**Build up to our girls getting together again! :D **

**Sorry I didn't update faster. My other story had a bombshell chapter posted that I had to make sure was perfect so I took a little bit longer with both stories. I can't wait for this next chapter. The Animal Cage should be…thrilling. ;)**

**Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Is it a Crime?**_

**2.2 Oops**

The crowd parted in natural ways as Brittany crossed the vast sea of people on her way to the Animal Cage. No one particularly looked at her and yet Brittany felt as if eyes were on her back at all times. Most of the patrons at the Ark were there for the night club, the booze, and the hot girls who worked the crowd, occasionally a pole, and even served drinks. Something about the way the Animal Cage and the invitation had been worded didn't match the Ark she was walking through now.

"Yo. Hold up." Ark security raised his hand right as Brittany reached the massive wooden doors surrounded by security. So many guards and yet no one was in line. Brittany played with the card in her hand and wondered if she should just turn back now. All her training at the academy would have told her to avoid going into unfamiliar territory, especially in a place like the Ark. Plus, the captain would be so pissed that Brittany was here on unofficial business when Sue had made it her personal vendetta to take Puckerman down. On the other hand, there hadn't really been any chapters on Santana Lopez in the academy. And even though Brittany wasn't the greatest writer, the officer was sure even she could write volumes upon volumes of books about the singer.

"What?" Brittany jumped back about a foot at the man's voice. Trap. Trap. Trap. Trap.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Um…the Animal Cage?" Britt looked around. Again, she found it suspicious that no one was in line for supposedly the hottest party of the year.

"Ha!" The guard started to double over. "How'd you even hear about the Cage?"

"I got this card?" Brittany raised the card from Santana's box for the guard.

"You got to be fucking kidding me." The man took the guard and threw it up to the club lights and then back down underneath a special black light. All the markings and invisible signs were authentic and clearly visible. "How'd you get this?"

Brittany didn't want to give away Santana, just in case she wasn't supposed to be giving out invitations to the Animal Cage, so she tried fishing for an answer. "It came in a box with a ribbon and-"

"Songbird." The man abruptly cut her off.

"Huh?"

"Songbird." He flashed his light down on the left corner of the card and held it out for Brittany to get a good look. "See? Songbird. You must have some very special friends to get an invitation with Ms. Lopez's mark."

Brittany didn't know how she felt about the new information. She remembered the way Puck had wrapped his hands around Santana's throat and the way he kissed her. Curiosity, with a generous helping of jealousy, made her question the guard further. "Do you see these invitations with the Songbird on them frequently?"

The guard hesitated for a second before he handed it back to her. "Not in awhile."

Brittany's jealousy still hadn't fully ebbed as he revealed Santana hadn't sent out one of these invitations in awhile. But still…she had sent them out. Brittany didn't know what she wanted. All she knew was that she couldn't stop thinking of the singer and when they had made eye contact, her entire body heated up and her heart began to pound. But she felt better knowing that Santana didn't hand out these cards like candy. Besides…

_To my Anita…_

She had been so specific and she remembered Brittany's alias. Now all Britt needed was to hear Santana say her real name. The guard coughed lightly into his hand and Britt remembered she wasn't the only one standing there.

"So I just go through?" She looked through the empty velvet rope aisles. "Shouldn't there be a line or something?"

"A line?" Now he laughed even harder. "The Cage has been going on for the past three days. Tonight's the last night."

"Wait." Brittany glanced back to the doors. "People have been in there for three days?"

"Yeah. It's been pretty wild." He stepped aside. "Since it's your first time, I'm going to give you some advice…be cautious around the color purple."

"Purple?"

"Yeah, especially-" The guard stopped talking and placed a hand to his ear. "Beast is out?"

The police officer instantly tensed at what he said, but she quickly reminded herself that she was only there as a clubber, not with the law.

"That thing should be the only thing locked up. Alert Miss Berry and get some eyes on the Songbird before this gets out of hand. Someone should have been watching her closer."

Now Britt's body definitely tensed. They were talking about Santana. What could be after her? The guard looked back at Brittany. The police officer's eyes quickly darted to the floor as if she couldn't care less about whatever he had been talking about. "What are you still doing here?"

"Just leaving!" Brittany cheerfully responded and practically skipped past him so he wouldn't suspect anything. Did this mean Santana was in trouble? Was Brittany in trouble? The large doors of The Cage loomed above her and looked anything _but _welcoming. The large doors didn't open. Instead, a man ushered her to the side where a black door which would have looked like a part of the wall to anyone casually glancing, opened. Brittany took one more look back to the Ark and plunged into darkness.

* * *

Purple.

Everything was purple.

Not the light purple or the shade closely related to pink or found in the kids section in the Wal-Mart clothing department.

No, this purple was heavy. It stuck to everything. It saturated the walls and dripped from the ceiling. It pulsed in the deep bass thumping in the music of The Cage and seeped from cracks in the floor. The color flashed neon and clashed with the darkness. Everything and everyone was painted purple and black. Bodies swam in the sea of purple in a dizzying fashion. If the regular Ark club had been intense, just standing in the middle of The Cage was disorienting. Hormones and sex lingered in thick clouds. Brittany stood in the middle with her mouth opened and a light sweat already glistening her fair skin. Her bright blue eyes seemed to glow in the strange lights of The Cage; in fact, everyone's eyes glowed in bright hues in the darkness. She found it hard to believe she was still in the Ark and not in some fantastical dream.

Her eyes darted everywhere at once and yet, it wasn't enough to fully appreciate the vast scope of The Cage. Everywhere people were sharing drinks and bodies were grinding. In between bodies were cages for dancers. Men and women were pressed against metal bars in scantily clad outfits wearing a variety of styles. Mostly, they were strategically decorated with feathers or fur straps. Brittany's feet cautiously took steps further into the mess of bodies dancing around the cages. So transfixed by the sight of men and women against the steel cages, Brittany didn't notice the cage she almost walked right into. An incredibly loud and very real roar directed at her, startled the police officer to whip around.

A lion!

A lion caged and swinging his tail as his eyes met the blonde's from beyond the cage.

"Holy Tubbs great-great-grandfather!" The blonde officer backed away from the rather large cat and into another solid body directly behind her.

"Compliments of the house."

Britt turned around into the solid body of man dressed in furs. He held out a single test tube of brightly colored neon purple drink, which Britt could only assume was some sort of alcohol.

It was purple. The guard outside said to avoid purple. But everything was purple. Brittany glanced to the test tube and back to the man's face. He saw her hesitation and spoke softly. "Compliments of Miss Lopez."

Again, Santana was leading her around and Brittany had no idea to where or why, but if taking the drink meant being one step closer to her, then Brittany would drink a thousand. She reached out and downed it in one go. It tasted delicious - so good, Brittany wasn't sure there had even been alcohol in it. She put it back on the tray and the man moved away quickly through the crowd. "Wait!" Britt called out trying to get him to stop, but he deftly maneuvered through the throng. Lost, the officer continued to move through the jungle of people and animals in cages. Bodies bumped up against her and the music deepened as she walked further into The Cage. Eyes shone with eerily brightness in the dim light, but Brittany only had eyes for a woman she couldn't see – couldn't find – but needed.

"Another?" The man had returned with yet another tube of purple liquid. The color seemed to be brighter than the last one. Her hand reached out with hesitancy. The guard outside had been clear about caution around purple, but she had only one before. And it had been quite tasty.

"Sure." It wasn't like she even felt the last one. The man disappeared again, but this time, Brittany didn't even bother to try and find him.

A woman rubbed up against her bare shoulder. Brittany's body responded before she could even think. She didn't shy away, but moved closer to the woman. Her body had been warm in the rather close and steamy setting of The Cage, but now she felt as if embers were steadily being fanned to life. Her internal heat was beginning to match the temperature of The Cage. The woman turned around and met Britt's bright blue eyes. "You have beautiful eyes." She said with a smirk and draped an arm around Brittany's shoulders. They were about the same height in heels. She was gorgeous and incredibly intoxicated. Her eyes were glazed. Her blonde hair was long like Brittany's would have been without the Cher wig.

"Thanks." Brittany responded and wrapped her hands around the woman's waist. Normally, Britt wouldn't have minded the extra attention. But this wasn't the woman she wanted. "Do you know where I can find Santana?"

"Find her?" The woman's hips swayed back and forth. "She's everywhere." The woman cooed and softly brushed the back of her pointer and middle fingers down Brittany's cheek. "You're so cute. How many times have you been here?"

"It's my first-" She started to say, but the words stuck in her throat as the other woman's eye brow perked at the offered information. "-This is my first time."

"Your first time?"

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all." The older woman winked with a crooked smile. Brittany didn't know if she felt comforted by this woman's easy presence. Besides, Brittany wasn't all that sure she should be comfortable in a place like the Cage. "I like'em fresh."

"I guess I'm about as fresh as they come." Brittany flashed her a smile, but her eyes were darting around trying to find where Santana could be. There were chains and ropes hanging down from the ceiling, but no balcony like in the Ark, so no Santana to find.

"Who you looking for, sweetie? Cause I'm right here." The blonde leaned in closer, her hot breath on Brittany's nape wasn't enough to distract, but it did feel good. "You can call me Holly."

"I'm looking for-" Brittany paused as she felt Holly's fingers caressing the back of her neck and slip through her fake wig hair. Should she reveal that she was looking for Santana? And what did Holly mean when she had said Santana was everywhere?

"Tell me."

"Santana."

Holly pulled back with a secretive smile on her face and amusement in her eyes. Her fingers danced along Britt's backside for a few seconds before she pulled back completely. "Of course you are, darling."

"What does that mean?"

"She'll find you. Until then, you should have some fun." Holly flashed her another wink and reached for a shot as a man walked past them in the crowd. She passed one to Brittany and took one for herself. Taking the tube wordlessly, Britt looked into the liquid once more before looking back into Holly's eyes. "I promise, tonight will be a wild one."

Brittany didn't know if she wanted a wild ride, but… _To my Anita_. Santana wanted her here.

"Let's do it."

"Thatta, girl." Holly clinked their tubes together and they both downed the contents.

* * *

The Cage was something else. It was nothing like the Ark or any club she had ever been to. Brittany's head was swimming. Her body had long ago lost feeling in the sea of people and music. The purple colors around her were both comforting and exciting all at once. She had a hard time keeping up with Holly, but the blonde woman would continuously find her and drag her somewhere else. Holly had a knack for pointing out "people of interest" and they included everyone from the mayor to some famous rapper or to a pro baseball player from New York. Brittany didn't pay too much attention to specifics; it was easier to just float along with her guide. Hands, bodies, and sweat mingled as they danced their way between bear cages and dancers on poles. At times, Brittany thought she spotted Santana in the crowd, but never long enough to know if she was real or a trick of the alcohol.

Brittany thought she saw Santana again. This time, the officer attempted to make her way to the figure.

But Holly had other ideas. "Come back here. She'll find you."

Brittany allowed the woman to spin her back into the mess of bodies dancing. There was no space anywhere in The Cage. Everyone pressed against everyone. Their bodies mingled and collided to the heavy beat. Bodies pushed and rocked against the cages. Hands knew no boundaries. Mouths murmured enticing seductions into strangers' ears. Brittany's body moved of its own accord to the music as if she was spellbound. Holly was a few people over grinding against another woman and man. Brittany was unsure who she was dancing with, but she didn't care. It had been forever since she had been able to let loose like this. Holly glanced over to her and shot her a smile. Brittany shot her one back, but her eyes glanced up.

_Tell you what I did last night_

The air sucked out of the club.

Brittany's body froze to the spot.

It wasn't the house music or the crazy bass that had been flooding her body for the past hour coming over the crowd. She stood paralyzed as the music continued, but no one else seemed to be as affected as she was. Everyone continued to dance. Perhaps she was the only one who could hear the siren's call.

Santana.

_I came home, say around a quarter of three_

They all still danced. But Brittany, she stood transfixed. Everything blurred around her. The bodies kept pressing, but she could only hear that voice – her voice.

_Still so high_

_Hypnotized, in a trance, from this body_

_So buttery brown and tantalizing_

Brittany reacted the only way she could, her body instinctively responded the voice washing over her. It didn't matter that the voice was all over the club, Brittany knew, like she did the last time she came to the Ark, Santana only sang for her.

_You would have thought I needed help-_

God, how she needed help. Brittany could barely breathe.

-_from this feeling that I felt_

She could only feel Santana. The crowd around her disappeared and the blonde cop shut her eyes as her body swayed to the music. The hands that had been all over her body withdrew. And the voice penetrating her ears formed two strong and dominating hands that wrapped around her waist from behind.

_So shook I had to catch my breath_

There was nothing for her to catch. The air in The Cage had turned heavy and humid. Brittany felt those hands running up and down her sides – over her hips and around her taut stomach. She didn't know if it was real or if it was the purple alcohol she had been drinking all night, all she knew was that Santana's voice was more intoxicating than any drink she ever had.

_Oops, there goes my shirt up over my head_

_Oh my. _Fingers played with the hem of her one-shouldered top. The sequins dangled around the fringes, but the invasive hands creeping underneath the stitching and the material didn't care for the distractions. Those hands needed contact. Direct and utterly physical contact with Brittany's skin. Her body was so sensitive to the body against her, she could feel even the details of finger prints etching across her skin.

_Oops, there goes my skirt droppin to my feet_

Brittany shut her eyes tighter as she felt those same fingers dance not-so-innocently underneath the band of her black skirt. For a second, Brittany forgot about the club and the other dancers, she resisted the urge to toss the shirt to the ground so those hands could touch her further.

_Oh my._ Other dancers bumped against her, but Brittany could only feel Santana's voice.

_Ooh, some kind of touch caressing my legs_

_Oh my. _Unsure which hands were hers and which belonged to the singer, Brittany raised her right hand. Her skin was glistening in the heat of the club. Her fingers dipped between her breasts and ran up her nape. She worked with the same diligence and patience as Santana's voice until Britt's fingers were tangled in her own hair.

_Ooh, I'm turning red, who could this be?_

_I tried and I tried to avoid, but this thing was happening_

Now, the song deepened as another voice joined Santana's through the speaker system, but Santana was the only one Brittany could feel. A few people away, Holly glanced over to her young friend with a smirk. Brittany seemed insatiable. The girl's hands were all over her own body and even though she wasn't dancing with anyone, her body language suggested otherwise. Holly could only imagine who the young blonde was dancing with – in fact, it wasn't hard to imagine at all. The center stage in the Cage had dropped from the ceiling. Dancers were twirling around and fog swirled in thick clouts between bodies.

There, in the middle of it, Santana Lopez was singing. Yet, her dark eyes were anything but gracious. Normally, she would give attention to the entire audience and work the entire crowd to a sexual frenzy. But tonight, the singer had her eyes on one person alone.

Brittany didn't have to open her eyes to feel the blistering heat of Santana's full attention.

_Swallow my pride_

The crowd parted as Santana walked down from the stage. Body guards, alarmed at how quickly Santana was moving through the Cage tried to keep up, but she wasn't deterred. She knew what she wanted.

_Let it ride_

The singer pressed right up against Brittany's body. The sudden contact jarred the officer from the trance she had been in. She turned around to see the woman who had been haunting her dreams for the past week standing right in front of her. A microphone was connected to her ear and pressed against her lips, but her stare was uninhibited.

"Santana…" Brittany whispered.

_And partied_

Santana finished the line of the song with a playful wink that ended with her tongue running against her bottom lip. Brittany felt an intense wave of pleasure and anticipation ripple down her backside. She was panting and they had barely touched.

_But this body felt just like mines, I got worried_

_I looked over to the left_

_A reflection of myself_

_That's why I couldn't catch my breath_

Another voice continued the verse of the song. If Brittany had been paying attention, she probably would have noticed it was Mercedes' voice taking over the song. But Brittany didn't notice. She didn't care. She had eyes and ears for only one diva.

Santana's body moved closer. Her eyes were flashing as she moved the microphone away from her mouth.

"Brittany…" Santana finally said the name that had been rolling around on her tongue for the past week. She had wanted to say Brittany's name out loud so many times and a few nights when she had been squeezing her thighs together in frustration and desire, she had allowed Brittany to slip through her parted and wanton lips, but it all paled in comparison to the beautiful woman standing in front of her. Unable to control herself, Santana stepped into Brittany's body completely flush. Her arms wrapped around the back of her neck and because of their height difference, Santana's lips grazed against the officer's exposed collar. She savored the delicious noise Brittany released. Lightly shutting her eyes, Santana continued speaking. "I've been waiting for you."

It felt like a dream. Like nothing was real – nothing was real, except for Santana. She was very real and very close. Brittany could smell her body spray and feel the dark haired beauty's body pressed against her. Their hips instinctively moved together as if they were made to be joined. "I've been waiting for you to say my name." Brittany breathlessly admitted. It was better than anything she imagined, better than kissing Santana the last time she had been at the Ark. Her whole body responded to the petite brunette grinding against her.

"_Brittany…_" Santana whispered again. This time her lips purposely dragged across the officer's defined collarbone and vibrated up her neck. Brittany closed her eyes. Her hands moved of their own accord down Santana's tight body.

_Oops, there goes my shirt up over my head_

Mercedes was singing. Santana pulled back from Britt for a moment and tugged down the microphone. Her dark eyes made contact with Brittany's bright blue ones in the neon lit club. Her mouth over-exaggerated the two words. _Oh my._ Her hips pushed forward and gyrated against the other woman's knee. She gasped into the microphone so the whole club could hear, but it was for Brittany alone. Wetness transferred from underneath Santana's tight dress to the top of Brittany's thigh as they moved possibly closer to the beat of the music.

Mercedes again.

_Oops, there goes my skirt droppin to my feet_

And again, Santana's voice husked the next words. _Oh my_. But the words lacked the notes of the music or the intention of singing.

Fuck.

She was solely reacting to the way Brittany made her feel.

_Ooh, some kind of touch caressing my legs_

_Oh my._ The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Santana once again breathed the words right up against the goose bumps on her nape. Santana's fingers were curling the strands of her Cher wig hair and the singer was standing on her toes to compensate for their height difference. Not one to make a lady do all the hard work, Britt dropped her hands down to Santana's waist and lifted the singer just enough off the ground to expose more of her thigh for Santana to ride on. The singer wasted no time. Her rocking motions on Britt's body shifted the sheer material of the officer's skirt to ride up even further.

_Ooh, I'm turning red, who could this be?_

Two voices continued the song, but Brittany was no longer listening.

"Can we go somewhere else?"

"You mean somewhere I can say your name?" Santana's mouth pressed to the inside of Brittany's ear. "Over and over again?"

Oh God. This woman would be the death of her. Brittany's grip on the singer's hips tightened. The material of her tight dress balled in her clenched fists. "Yes. Please."

Santana smirked and tossed the headset off. She threw it into the crowd somewhere. Mercedes could finish the song easily. She glanced up to the stage to see her best friend rolling her eyes. But that was all the permission she needed. "Come with me." The natural brunette whispered as she took Brittany's hand. The officer did little to resist. Sometime a week ago, she had fallen hopelessly into Santana's spell.

They moved through the crowd, but never fast enough to disconnect their bodies. They touched and rubbed up against each other every chance they could. At times, Santana would pause and turn back. Her dark eyes revealed unabashed appetite for the blonde. Brittany could barely walk straight, much less think. Every time Santana turned around, her hands would find the singer's hips and pull her into a tight embrace. Their legs slid up and down exposed thighs and hands crept in forbidden territory.

"Fuck." Santana breathed into Brittany's ear as the blonde pushed her up against one of the metal cages. At this rate they would never escape the Cage. But at this tempo, Santana wasn't sure she wanted the police officer to ever let up. Brittany hiked her up the bars of the cage. Santana threw her head back in maddening pleasure. Her right hand snaked up the metal behind her for better leverage. Her dress was practically around her waist as she rotated her hips against Brittany's rhythmic gyrations. Those bright blue eyes Santana could spot from anywhere were gazing up at her. It was the first time Santana could be the one staring down between them. And she loved what she saw. Unable to control herself and not caring who saw her anymore, Santana bent down. Her left hand cupped Brittany's chin as she pressed her lips against hers. For a second, they barely moved. The lightest touches were enough to ignite the smoldering desires between them. A moan from deep within Santana vibrated between them.

Nothing could stop them.

Their mouths opened and lips parted. Santana's tongue ran along the edges of Brittany's bottom lip. Her teeth nibbled and her fingers tightened. Their hips rocked harder desperately trying to find release. They were both so close. In the back of Santana's mind, she knew the exit to the dressing rooms wasn't far away, but she couldn't pull herself away.

She needed Brittany.

Now.

"It's so hot-" Santana spoke between their kisses. Brittany's right hand had dropped from her hip to the bottom of her dress. She wanted nothing more than for the officer to frisk her right at that moment. She was normally the one to fuck a girl, but Brittany had a way of always placing her hands in the perfect position. She needed Brittany to touch her so bad. All Brittany needed was a little push. "-the way you touch yourself when I sing."

The noise Brittany emitted was nothing she had ever heard before. Santana practically came at that moment. Brittany's eyes were so intense, so hungry. Santana's words seared a path straight through her body – right to her core. Her fingers pushed all the way up Santana's opened legs and wrapped around her inner thigh. Santana closed her eyes and arched her back up against the cage. "Please Brittany, I've been waiting for you all week."

Distinct pleasure rippled through the blonde's body at the sound of her name on Santana's tongue. "Say it again."

"_Brittany…" _Santana moaned. Both of her hands grasped onto the cage bars above her head.

Brittany didn't have to say anything else. But both women knew it wouldn't be the last time Santana would say her name. Slowly, Britt's mouth kissed the underside of Santana's neck. Her right hand spread. All her fingers splayed over the inside of Santana's thigh. The singer gasped and her hips jutted trying to create more friction between them. Leisurely, Brittany ran her fingers straight up to Santana's lips. Naked underneath that tight dress, Brittany's fingers only found moisture. Santana was already dripping. Feeling how turned on Santana was, Brittany's pussy clenched and throbbed; she couldn't stop herself as she came. Brittany shut her eyes tight as she grinded against the back of her own hand. Her fingers pressed against Santana swollen lips and slipped right into the singer.

"_Britt_." Santana gasped. Her hips hitched. Her left hand tightened into the dark hair of the fake wig. But she wasn't allowed even a moment to calm down. Brittany's fingers started to slide in and out of her. In and out. Her abdomen tightened. Her body felt like a tie winding up. Pleasure that had been building since she first saw Brittany in the crowd at the Ark was reaching an overload. Brittany was anything but an inexperienced lover. Her fingers found all Santana's spots and mercilessly drove deeper and deeper into the singer. Her thumb ran over her clit and her mouth peppered the expanse of her neck. The neon purple lights of the Cage left spots in her eyes as she felt her body releasing wave after wave of pleasure. It didn't matter what Brittany did or how she moved against Santana, the officer only offered ecstasy. Santana's eyes were shut. She was panting Brittany's name over and over again. People moved around them, but no one seemed to notice them. No one glanced toward the darkest corner of the Cage.

What felt like hours later, Santana finally slumped against the metal bars; her fingers unwrapped from the cage behind her back and settled onto Brittany's shoulders. The Cher wig had become slightly dislodged and Santana's hair was a mess.

"I've wanted to do that to you since the first time I saw you coming toward me." Brittany breathless admitted. She too was panting. Her face was flush and her skin over sensitive to the proximity of Santana's body.

Triggered, Santana realized they were still at the club and Brittany was still with her. God, the things she wanted to do to that body. She glanced to the back rooms. They needed to get out of the Ark first. "Hopefully you still wanna do more." Brittany's genuine smile was all the answer Santana needed. "Let's get out of here."

Santana pulled down the bottom of her dress and flipped her hair back before she took Brittany's hand again. They moved to the backdoor exit. Their pace quickened as Santana opened the door. As much as she wanted to let Brittany ravish her all night, Santana still had a job to do and a place to be. But at least she would have Brittany to keep her company all night long. It wasn't like Puck would ever find out the girl she was fucking tonight happened to be a cop.

* * *

**Thanks again for reading. I love writing Brittana like this. :D**

**Song-**

**Oops (Oh My) by Tweet**


	6. Chapter 6

**So last chapter's reviews were killer. There were quite a few cold showers taken. Hopefully this chapter can do it again. ;) There is one more part to this short story. Like the others, it will be another 3 chapter installment and then there will be a finale sort of piece. So I'm planning for four more chapters. Thanks for reading!.**

* * *

**Is it a Crime?**

**2.3 Oops**

"Uh-"

_Tell you what I did last night_

"Mmm."

"Fuck."

"In here?"

"Right-" Her voice hitched. "-there."

"Not what I asked." The voice playfully responded. Lips were pressed against heated skin.

"Just-a-second." Santana's body arched against the wall for the second time since they had left the Cage from the back exit. She had lost count how many times Brittany's fingers had sent her over the edge. "Fuck." She was panting heavily. Gentle, but confident fingers brushed sticky hair from her face. Santana glanced up with a smile. Brittany's other hand slowly withdrew from between the singer's legs, but lingered around Santana's inner thigh. The officer flashed her a knowing and mischievous smirk. Bright blue eyes smoldered as she raised her fingers to her lips. Delicately, she brushed the soft and moist pads of her fore finger and middle finger across her bottom lip.

Santana's eyes were plastered to her cop's fingers. Her panting somehow increased even though Brittany was no longer rocking into her body.

Slowly with a succulent pop, each finger ran along the officer's tongue. Those blue eyes expressed explicit vows without ever saying the words. And Santana knew that Brittany was promising to make her call out her name all night long. With each lick and sweet smack of those lips, Santana's mind envisioned blonde hair bobbing between her legs and the amazing things that tongue could do if put to use at other places on Santana's body.

As if connected by a line, Santana leaned into Brittany even further each time she pushed her fingers deeper into her mouth. Unable to resist the tease any more, Santana wrapped her fingers, one digit at a time, around Brittany's wrist. With the slightest flick of her wrist, the singer extracted those damp fingers from Brittany's lips. Santana's eyes lowered and focused her query.

With the same excruciating patience, Santana plump lips parted just enough for Britt to feel every part of her finger making contact with Santana's mouth.

When Brittany moaned, Santana's whole body curled. She sucked the second finger into her mouth. Brittany tasted better than any girl Santana could remember. She tasted salty with a bit of alcohol. Santana didn't mind the lingering taste of herself and relished the knowledge these fingers would find a way to explore every inch of her body.

Britt couldn't move. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. All she could feel was Santana's mouth around her fingers. The blonde leaned in closer and asked. "So where are you taking me?"

"Jesus." Santana's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she slowly allowed herself to relax for the first time since she had seen Brittany walk into the Ark. Right. They couldn't spend the entire night fucking around the Ark. Puckerman would kill her. Her dark eyes adjusted to the light of the hallway for the first time since she had dragged Brittany from the dance floor of the Cage. She looked back to those waiting blue eyes. "Out of here."

"Like out out?"

"Yeah." The tip of Santana's tongue had a dirty habit of resting on her bottom lip. Brittany was growing increasingly distracted. It was hard to look anywhere else. "Would you like that? Or does a girl have to have a record before you take her anywhere?"

Fuck.

Brittany's brain fizzled and her eyes were glued to Santana's mouth making love to that bottom lip. The officer wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and take Santana's mouth once again. But Santana was demanding focus elsewhere. Somewhere, where voyeuristic eyes didn't have to watch as Brittany plunged her fingers in and out of the singer – where they could ravish each other on something softer than cage bars or cement walls. Not that Brittany hadn't enjoyed the rough ride so far. "Are you telling me you're not clean?"

"I don't know, officer…" Santana smirked as she pulled Brittany backward down the hallway. "How many times did you touch yourself reading my file? Find anything interesting to look at?"

Fuck.

…again.

"Nothing that compares to the real thing." This woman! Holy shit. Brittany's heart was hammering. Her palms were sweaty and her eyes couldn't stop roving over those lips. She was going to get in so much trouble if the captain ever found out. Sue would kill her. Like literally kill her. But Santana was all the officer could think about. Santana had been in her every dream, in her every thought, and when she closed her eyes, Brittany could hear her voice singing to her. How was she just supposed to ignore this feeling?

Captain Sylvester would understand. Right?

Before she actually grimaced at the answer to that question, she felt fingers threading between her own. Britt's eyes dropped down. Santana was smiling. "Let me get my stuff first and we can get out of here."

"Sure. I'll follow you." The blonde allowed herself to be led through the back hallways of the Ark once again by Santana. Like last time, Brittany couldn't keep her eyes from the brunette. There were more than a few times, she wanted to stop all the foolish jogging and just push her up against the wall once again. But Santana seemed insistent on getting out of the club and Brittany never wanted to see the singer upset.

This time when Santana rounded the corner to the dressing rooms, she didn't pause. She pushed open the door and ushered the cop inside with her. Brittany couldn't help it as a great smile spread across her face. She glanced around and quickly realized this wasn't nearly a good enough room for a singer of Santana's talent and caliber. The blonde glanced around and saw pictures of Santana as a young girl on the mirror and other, more recent ones. There was another mirror with pictures that didn't look like they belonged to Santana.

She reached out to touch one, but something shifted in the mirror directly behind her.

"Mercedes!" Brittany yelled in excitement at the figure.

"Mercedes?" The woman turned around and Brittany could see she made a mistake. A terrible mistake. This woman was most certainly not Mercedes. But like Mercedes, she looked fierce and ready to pounce. "Who and what are you doing in here?"

"Nique?" Santana turned around from the closet.

"Santana." Unique stepped out into the light with an iron in her hands and a look on her face. "What the fuck are you doing here? You've got the Cage."

"Yeah I know. Do me a favor…I am taking care of _something_ right now. So could you do my sets for the rest of the night?" Santana batted her eyes and smiled.

Unique glanced from Brittany to Santana a few times before she flipped her hair back with a scary amount of attitude. And even though Brittany stood the entire distance of the room away, she still felt the need to take a step back. "I know wigs, Tana. And that is a wig." She pointed to Brittany's head. Brittany touched her wig and made a noise of indignation in its defense. This was the best Cher wig at the Halloween store. "Which means she's blonde and I know exactly what's got you all busy. So you aren't fooling anyone."

Why was she so bad at disguises? Brittany's mouth dropped into a confused frown. She looked to Santana. Was this bad that everyone knew she was wearing a wig?

"Let it go, Unique." Santana rolled her eyes. "I said you could do my next set. You should be thrilled."

"Uh-huh. Whatever, honey." Unique shook the iron in her hands. "I know exactly what you're off to do – or should I say _who_. Don't get caught sneaking out. Puckerman's men are all jittery today."

Santana didn't say anything. She knew they were anxious, but she also knew that they would let her pass especially since she was on Puck's time right now. Unique took the iron with her and left the room. Not a second passed before the actual Mercedes appeared at the door way. Santana groaned.

"Mercedes!" Brittany exclaimed again, happy that she had accurately identified Santana's friend from the last night she had been at the Ark.

"Where the fuck did you go?" Mercedes started to say and then caught sight of Brittany at her vanity mirror. "Oh no. You did not."

"Cedes…"

"Take it off." Mercedes pointed at the officer. At the same time she slammed the door to the dressing room shut so there would be no more interruptions or unwanted intruders.

Confused, Brittany wasn't sure what Mercedes wanted her to take off. But Mercedes had said it with such authority that Brittany felt it was imperative to obey her right away. So she reached back for the zipper of her skirt. Maybe Mercedes was going to help her with a better disguise? Brittany started to pull down her skirt. "Okay…" She said with a shrug. "Like this?"

Mercedes' eyes snapped back to the undercover cop who was starting to undress. "What the fuck you doing, girl?!"

"You said take it off!" Brittany cried in defense and quickly pulled the zipper back up. "So I was taking it off!"

"Put it on! Put it on!" Mercedes yelled back and pointed at her with her thumb as she glanced to Santana.

The singer's tongue was back to rimming her bottom lip. Lust and wanton desire had completely darkened her eyes. She ignored Mercedes and said in that sexy voice Brittany couldn't get enough of, "No, you can keep taking it off."

"Santana!" Still no response. "Hot blonde thing! I meant your wig. The wig! Take that off cause I know that's you!"

"Oooooh." Brittany blushed a little and laughed nervously. "Right. I just thought cause you said take it off that you meant you know…" She pulled the Cher wig down. "Yeah, it's me."

"You thought what? What kind of undercover did you say you worked?"

"Um, none?" Britt shrugged with the wig in her hand. "But I'm really happy to see you again since I only know like three people here and you're one of them."

"Uh-huh." Mercedes kept looking from Brittany's rambling nonsense back to Santana's hungry eyes. It was crazy, but Mercedes was pretty sure the more Britt rambled the more Santana resembled a famished predator. Damn this shit was turning her on! Seriously, Mercedes had seen Santana pick a girl out, but she had never seen her best friend look at any woman like she was looking at Brittany. This was really getting her off. What the fuck! "Yo! Pez! Please take your head out of fake-cop's legs for a second and look at me!"

"But I'm a real cop…" Brittany whispered already knowing that Mercedes was once again not really paying her any attention.

"Fine!" Santana finally tore her eyes away from Brittany, but it was so hard to do. "What?"

"Number one: Not cool leaving me not only in the middle of a set, but in the middle of a fucking song! Not cool. Seriously. Number two: What the fuck are you still doing here?" Mercedes glanced to Brittany who was listening to their conversation with general curiosity. "You need to bounce. You got places to be."

Santana knew exactly what Cedes was talking about and she was grateful her friend chose not to mention them right out loud. She needed to get to Puckerman's pad or she wouldn't be making a very good alibi for him.

"I was heading there right now."

"Well get there soon cause Beast was unleashed and that means you're on everyone's radar. Either you get to the pad now or they are going to force you to get there."

"I get it." Santana growled. The look on Brittany's face was one of concern. "Anything else mom?"

Cedes rolled her eyes and glanced back to the cop. "This is seriously happening? She's a cop. We've established this and it's still happening?"

"I do what I want." Santana said like a fifteen year-old.

Mercedes responded in kind. "Fine. Your choice. Just use protection and have fun! I don't wanna hear that you got knocked up or some shit like that."

"Thanks, mom. I'll make sure I don't get preggers." Santana rolled her eyes in the same way Mercedes had done a few seconds ago. "Are you done with the lecture?"

"Yeah. You crazy kids get out of here."

"Should I put the wig back on?" Brittany innocently asked.

"Ugh. Are you sure she's for real?"

Brittany was readjusting the wig and walked out of the dressing room. As Santana followed after her, she couldn't resist whispering to Mercedes with smirk. "Trust me, Cedes, when she's got her hands all over me, I'm not sure she's real either."

Mercedes closed the door to the dressing room with another groan. Pleased with herself, Santana's smirk only grew bolder as she looked Brittany up and down once more. Fuck. Puck could do whatever he wanted tonight as long as she got to have the blonde to herself. The wig on her head was askew and her skirt was just a little messed up and hung from her hips unevenly. Not surprisingly, the more disheveled Brittany looked, the hotter Santana's body grew. Brittany glanced up with a smile of her own.

Santana didn't know why that smile made her heart beat even faster. Sure, Brittany was doing all sorts of things to her body. But the flush in her cheeks and the way she sucked in an extra breath, Santana wasn't sure if it was just a physical reaction.

"Can we go now?"

"Yeah." Santana nodded.

But before either girl could take another step, one of Puckerman's guards popped out of the shadows. The gun in his hand was pointed directly at Brittany. "Hold it! You're the fucking cop from the other night."

Gripped instantly by fear, Santana almost cried out for help. But the words stuck fast in her throat. Her mouth dropped in complete disbelief as Brittany's body fluidly maneuvered away from the pointed gun. It was over in the blink of an eye, but Santana saw the cop move through a thousand different motions within that spilt second with ease and precision. The life threatening moment was ended as Brittany step-sided his body. Her arm came up under the forearm of the hand holding the pistol. Unprepared, his arm flew up. The element of surprise gave Brittany the advantage. She disarmed him without trouble before her other hand hit him square in the face and then again. Finally, she threw her whole body into his. He slammed against the cement, his head cracked on the hard surface before he slumped unconscious down the length of the wall.

"Holy shit." Santana's jaw still wasn't properly moving. Words were hard to come by. "How did-how did you do that? You completely wrecked him. I mean- your hands were so fast. How?"

Brittany smiled and pushed back some of her hair that had been dislodged from the brief moment of fighting. "I said I was good with my hands."

"Yeah, I remember you saying they were magical, but I thought you were talking about…" Santana blushed once again. What was this woman doing to her? Whatever it was, it was making her all sorts of horny mixed with amazement mixed with wanting to squeeze the cuteness right out of Brittany's body. "You know…"

"Magic hands." Brittany loved the red tinges in Santana's cheeks, even if they were barely visible. She wiggled her fingers as if to help demonstrate how magical they were.

The way Brittany wiggled those fingers in that combination of adorable-ness and seductress was almost too much. Santana started to laugh. She was just being an idiot, the songstress told herself, but it did little to stop her from giggling. Tempted to roll her eyes at herself, Santana's smile only increased as her Knight-in-Cher-Wig-Armor proceeded to unload all the bullets from the gun on the ground. Then when Brittany was done being sexy cop, she held out her hand for Santana to take.

"Let's get out of here."

"Finally."

* * *

_Tell you what I did last night_

The key turned to the pent house suite of some fancy place, but Brittany had hardly paid any attention. Since leaving the Ark, they had taken a limo and drove up to some swank pad and entered through the back door. They crossed stairs and Santana nodded to men in suits after instructing Brittany to keep her head down and pretend that she was hammered. Brittany had willingly followed the singer down every back hallway and secret door. All of it led up to Santana sliding the key into that tiny hole.

Brittany couldn't bother with the suite. In the back of her mind, she must have realized this place was about as classy as it got.

Santana didn't let her eyes linger on the pad for long.

She was moving quickly around furniture without looking as she walked backward. Brittany's eyes were drawn to the slender finger crooked in her direction. Like a nymph or a mythical creature from all those stories, Santana beckoned Brittany to follow her. Drawn by her summons, Brittany would never dare to deny this beauty.

"Is this your place?"

"Something like that." Santana cooed and brushed off the question. She was too occupied. Too charged to care for small talk. Small talk had been when they eye fucked each other in the Ark. Small talk had been when Santana had cried out Brittany's name in the middle of the Cage. Small talk was over. Santana wanted big talk. She wanted Brittany in every way.

"So you rent it?" Brittany stepped around a couch.

"Shut up and come here." Santana whispered with a devilish tint in her eyes.

Brittany took the hint. The blonde stopped looking around. She totally got what Santana wanted because it was the same thing she wanted.

Without turning, Santana twisted the doorknob to the master bedroom behind her back. The door slipped open to reveal a rather large bed complete with backboard, a couch, a walk in closet, a stereo system, and other things. It was the nicest bedroom Britt had ever seen.

"Shit."

Santana took advantage of Brittany's momentary distraction.

* * *

_Tell you what I did last night_

"Uh-uh." Santana's mouth covered Brittany's ear. Her hair had been pulled back and out of the way so the singer could have complete access to every inch of her skin. "Hold still, officer, or I'll have to frisk you again."

"Fuck." Britt's eyes rolled into the back of her head at the same time her hips rolled up trying to create needed friction between their bodies. But Santana gracefully pulled up so the cop's ministrations were in vain.

"God, you're so beautiful." Santana husked. The Cher wig had been discarded to the floor. Santana had completely taken the officer by surprise when she opened the door to the master bedroom. In a matter of moments, the brunette had shoved her up against the wall. Her hand between her legs found the black strap around Brittany's upper thigh. With a smirk, Santana had grasped the black strap expecting to find the officer's firearm, but what she found was much better.

Much better.

So much fucking better.

The rattle above her head and the ensuing cold metal around her wrists sent another jolt of pleasure through her body.

Santana had confiscated the handcuffs Brittany had wrapped in the black strap around her thigh. The officer put up no resistance. Thus, her compromising new position on the bed. Her bare arms were above her head and the cuffs had been slapped around her wrists so she wouldn't be able to use her hands.

Naked.

Completely naked and stripped down except for the police issued black strap around her upper thigh. For some reason, Santana had purposely kept that on.

Britt had always been confident in her body, but with Santana's hungry eyes drinking in every inch of her, the blonde couldn't help herself. She pressed her ass into the mattress of the bed so her back would arch. Santana pulled back just enough so Brittany's chest could rise. Her naked breasts thrust into the air demanding attention.

"Please." The officer moaned.

"You've had your fun with me all night. Now it's my turn." Santana's thighs clenched around Brittany's hips as if to remind them both who was on top now. Without fail, Santana was always the top. But every time Santana had even tried to gain the upper hand at the Ark, Brittany had been faster and forceful. Not that she had wanted to fight the officer because the things Brittany had done to her body had been ethereal. So what if it took actual handcuffs to finally get the officer under her?

The cuffs rattled again against the metal rails of the back board to the bed.

Brittany might not have been the best at undercover or disguises or police work, but she was good at women. Very good and it wasn't hard to see the hunger in Santana's eyes or the way the singer relished being on top. Britt also figured Santana wasn't used to losing control to another woman. Spurred on by Santana's boldness, Brittany flashed her a toothy grin and asked. "You like this?" Santana sank her teeth slowly into the base of Brittany's neck in response. The officer's hips bucked. Her head tossed to the opposite side to allow Santana more room to work. Her body was tingling all over and the sharp sensation coupled with intense pleasure. She needed more. "Do it again." Brittany gasped and shook her torso and eyed up her own breasts.

Even with Brittany chained and cuffed to the bed, Santana still couldn't believe the blonde was still setting the pace. With only a few words, Santana was once again obeying and bending to Brittany's will. Her teeth withdrew from the soft flesh of Brittany's neck and kissed down her collarbone. She tasted like sex. She tasted like sweat. She tasted like dancing. It was fucking intoxicating. Her mouth reached the valley between Brittany's breasts. Here, she lingered. This was the first real time Santana had the opportunity to explore the other woman and she wanted to savor every delicious inch of the officer.

Anxious for more, Brittany's voice hitched as Santana's hands slid up her tits. Her mouth kissed around her breasts right where the skin raised and her sensitive tissue collected. Brittany's moans increased. Her hips rocked up into the straddling Santana, but the motion only served to increase her frustrations. Loving the tortured look on Brittany's face, Santana's lips pressed against the underside of Brittany's breast. The cuffs rattled and the officer's eyes shut tight right as Santana's mouth closed around her hard nipple. Her tongue rimmed around her areola with skill and experience. And her teeth scrapped along her sensitive nub.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Brittany panted. Her hips were thrusting rhythmically against Santana so hard, the singer had to use her other hand to push between their bodies. Santana undid the zipper of her skirt and quickly tossed it from her body. She hadn't been wearing anything in the club. So her fingers quickly connected with her glistening core. Brittany glanced down to see the singer touching herself. "Fuck!" She hissed and yanked at the handcuffs keeping her from grabbing Santana. She wanted nothing more than to flip Santana over and be the fingers that were diving in and out of her pussy.

But she was still handcuffed and Santana was enjoying every second of it.

She pulled back even further.

And she took her time. Her finger slipped in and out in the exact same time Brittany's hips thrust into the air. Every time Brittany pushed herself off the mattress, Santana's hips would roll and her lips swallowed her dripping wet finger. Over and over again.

Brittany struggled against the cuffs harder and harder. Like Santana, Brittany was rarely bottom, and delighted to be the one to make a woman scream. But fuck. No one had ever done anything like this to her before. Or with such authority. Santana was like a wild woman. Her dark hair was messed up from all the playing they had done at the cage. She had discarded the rest of her clothing and her breasts were bouncing with every time she moved.

And fuck she loved to move.

It wasn't just her hips, but her ass rolled forward just as hard as her shoulders rolled back. Her dark eyes were riveting. Brittany watched as Santana played with herself. Her thumb and fingers were working her up. The way Santana's breathing was getting shorter and shorter meant she was so close. Brittany needed to be the one to get her there, but Santana obstinately refused to release her from the cuffs.

Santana's right hand which had been caressing and pulling at Brittany's mid section ran up the length of her naked body. Brittany's pussy clenched hard and started to throb as Santana's kneaded her own breasts.

"Something a matter, officer?" Santana playfully questioned her prisoner. "You look like you could be in pain. Maybe I can do something to make you feel better?"

The brunette shifted between Brittany's spread legs. Her body easily slid down until her mouth was at the level of Brittany's hip. Brittany pulled her torso up so she could watch with barely contained anticipation as Santana kissed her defined hip bones one at a time. Once again her teeth dragged and her nails created red lines down the outside of her thighs. But Santana's right hand lingered on the black holster that had been hiding underneath Britt's skirt and contained her now confiscated handcuffs.

Santana's fingers wound around the edges of the strap and her fingers played with the hooks which would have held either a small handgun or hand cuffs. "Fuck." Was all Brittany could say in response.

That was all Santana wanted.

Slowly, she lowered her head even further. Santana flipped her hair back so she'd have no obstructions.

"Fuck you are the biggest tease ever." Britt growled. The handcuffs slapped even hard at the metal above her head.

"Patience." Santana murmured. The vibrations of the word started at Brittany's lips and reverberated through the officer's core and spread through her body. Santana's voice did things to her body that Brittany could hardly explain.

Brittany barely opened her eyes to see Santana's head duck completely between her thighs before she threw her head back. Hot breath whisked over wet folds. Her hips jerked, but Santana's hold on her thighs kept her pressed against the soft mattress.

_Fuck._ This time Brittany wasn't sure if she actually said the word or if her moans and gasps of pleasure had swallowed it. Hot. She was burning up. And it was because of Santana's mouth. Her tongue ran up and down the inside of her thighs. Nails dragged and teeth nipped. But Santana still didn't give Brittany what she desperately needed.

_Please._ Again, she was unsure if her songstress heard her pleas, but the quick glance of dark eyes from between her legs seemed to indicate Santana heard every petition the officer made for release. Santana's mouth again and her tongue licked Brittany straight up her center. This time not even the added pressure from Santana's hands could stop Britt from bucking at the contact. She hissed as Santana's tongue lapped at her wet core.

_San-tana. _Whether Santana heard her or not was irrelevant. Brittany couldn't see straight, much less think straight. Pulling against the constraints above her head, the blonde gripped at the bars of the mattress as a means to steady herself, but nothing helped. Her hips twisted and her thighs wrapped around the back of Santana's head since she couldn't run her fingers through the singer's thick hair like she wanted to.

Santana groaned at the feel of Brittany's strong legs wrapped around her and spurring her on. Her finger shoved through the hoops of the thigh strap violently. Santana yanked at the strap and gripped it hard. Connected to Brittany's leg, Santana was able to use the strap to help Brittany ride her mouth. Setting the pace to Brittany's hips, the blonde rolled into Santana's mouth as the singer rhythmically pulled at the strap. Brittany tried to buck her hips for more, but Santana was relentless. She pushed and pulled at the exact same tempo to prolong Brittany's pleasure.

Just when Britt didn't think she could handle anymore, she was gasping and moaning for air. Her back arched completely off the mattress and her hands grasped at the bars connected to the hand cuffs. She was yelling Santana's name over and over again. Her hips were rocking with abandon, but Santana didn't stop. Eagerly, the singer lapped at her dripping pussy as Brittany came again and again.

After many long minutes, Brittany untangled her legs from Santana's head. The singer emerged with a smirk on her face and licking at her lips with satisfaction. She did appear disappointed though as she unhooked her fingers from the strap around Brittany's thigh. "I really like that thing."

"I don't think that's what they had in mind when they issued that to me."

"Yeah, but I think it definitely got some good use." Santana pushed back her hair from her face with a sigh. Somehow she was once again straddling the police officer. "So tell me you've got some keys in here."

Britt still wasn't recovered. There were still stars in her eyes and her pussy was still tingling, but Santana was once again giving her attention. So it was hard to ignore a woman like that. Britt opened her eyes to the most beautiful sight. Like damn. She still wasn't sure this whole night was real.

Santana's question though brought her back from her inner thoughts. The police officer shrugged with a smirk. "Don't need any."

A small click.

Santana's jaw dropped from the second time that night. The cuffs unlocked and detached without any help or a key. Brittany sat up and rubbed at her raw wrists for a second with a secretive smile daring Santana to ask her how she escaped without a key. "How-did you do that?"

"Magic hands." Brittany said. Her eyes were twinkling in the dim light of the bedroom.

"Magic hands? You've got to be kidding me!"

"No joke. Maybe next time you'll let me use them when you're between my legs. And I can show you just how magical they can be."

Santana glanced to the hand cuffs to Brittany's smirk and then to Cher wig on the floor before returning to those bright blue eyes. How could this woman be the same woman who couldn't even work an undercover mission without losing her partner and getting chased down by Puckerman's thugs? It just didn't seem possible! And not only that, but she was funny and charming and a fucking hell of a partner in bed. Like damn for real.

Santana rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth tilted up in a smile reserved only for the blonde. "And what makes you think there's going to be another time?"

"I can leave if you really want me to." Brittany deadpanned and sat up from the bed. She started to push the covers away from her body. But Santana was having none of it. The singer pounced from the end of the bed onto Brittany's naked body and tackled her back into the mattress. They both laughed and pretended to struggle against each other. Normally, Santana would have kicked the girl out or left for the other bed room in the master suite, but for some reason she couldn't keep her hands, or her eyes off the officer.

She told herself it was just because of the danger. It was a thrill to be sleeping with a police officer when she knew Brittany should have been the last person she should be taking to bed.

That's what she kept telling herself.

Even as she moaned into another prolonged kiss.

"You're not going anywhere. Not tonight." Santana's voice cracked at the feel of Brittany's lips on the nape of her neck. She closed her eyes. Her hands wrapped around the back of Brittany's head and then sank back into the covers together.

* * *

**There was supposed to be plot in this chapter somewhere…**

**Ooops. ;) Maybe next time. Hahaha**

**I swear I am working on **_**Sirens**_**! I'm already hard at work on chapter 24. I told you **_**IIAC **_**would be a fast update!:D Thanks again for all the reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long break in installments. I had to write **_**Sirens**_** to avoid the mob and then the end of semester was brutal, but I am back and excited to continue **_**IIAC**_**. Thanks again for everyone who's been sending reviews and to the person(s) who nominated **_**IIAC**_** for best multi-chap smut for the GSAwards. When I saw that, I had a big smile on my face. Means I'm doing something right and by "something" I mean the smut…at least the smut's alright. ;) (This is my warning for more smut this chapter. Some of you scold me for my lack of warnings hahaha)**

**Also thanks to my fantastic friend and fellow Brittana writer, Balexi, I am on twitter now. So I guess feel free to hit me up there as well. kell_nico**

**The bastardization of song lyrics: Criminal by Fiona Apple**

* * *

**Is it a Crime?**

**3.1 Criminal**

"Mhhmm…" Brittany awoke to the lightest of streams from the blinds covering the windows. She shifted. Covers spread across her chest and her bare arm crossed over the space next to her. It was a strange feeling to expect a body to be lying aside of her in the morning. Britt had always been quite aware of her body's needs and her sexuality was as fluid as her thoughts, but she didn't make a habit of expecting somebody in bed with her in the morning. In fact, she avoided it. Too much hassle. Besides, she didn't have time for serious relationships; she was far too busy staying in the captain's good graces, or avoiding the captain's foul temper. It meant almost no personal life. Sam was about as personal as it got and that was because they were partners and roommates. Not that they shared much anyway.

So when Brittany stretched out, her fingers grasped to sheets she had been writhing over only hours ago, only to find the familiar expanse of emptiness.

Surprised, she turned. The covers shifted over her naked body, but she didn't care. The cop had confidence in spades when it came to her body. She flexed her muscles and cracked her back as she sat up in the bed. Her wrists ached and her thighs were a little sore, but not the usual soreness from dancing. These were the muscles for riding and they were burned from the previous night.

Brittany couldn't contain the satisfied smirk that played on the corners of her mouth as she thought about the reasons why she felt so good this morning.

Damn.

Even the lonely bed didn't seem that bad when she thought about who she shared it with that night.

Damn.

She stretched again; the smile on her face grew. The light from the windows filtered in and bounced off her golden locks of hair. Sometime during the night her Cher wig most have gotten tossed. She glanced over to the floor near the door and remembered aggressive hands flinging the costume piece from her head. Best thirty-five bucks she ever spent.

Because damn.

Lazily, her eyes roved over the room. It was swanky. Pure swank. The walls were alabaster white. The blinds were diagonal cuts over large windows that over looked the city. The paintings on the walls were modern abstracts. Everything, _everything,_ was gilded, including, Brittany noted with residual pleasure, the bars to the backboard of the bed, the ones Santana had cuffed her to.

Yeah, that happened…

While observing the room, she did notice the only piece of clothing which was still visible was, in fact, the Cher wig. Everything else had mysteriously vanished. Strange. She could have sworn they had stripped on the way to the bed. She shrugged and pulled at the loosest sheet from the bed. In a few moments, the cop had slid the material over her backside and up her front. It left her upper back and most of her legs exposed.

Modesty wasn't her thing.

The police officer bent over to collect the wig and fashioned it crooked on her head. Couldn't be too careful; she still wasn't sure where she was and last night had been a hazy mess of heat and sex. Her disguise had successfully allowed them to escape the Ark last night – the details were fuzzy, but they did end up here so it had to work.

Voices from another room perked her curiosity. Britt pulled the sheet around her body just a little tighter as she stepped around the room and started to make her way through the foreign pad.

* * *

"_You've been a bad, bad girl_…" A voice was saying, but Brittany couldn't quite make out who it was or from where they were talking.

But the voice that followed, Brittany would recognize anywhere. "I know."

"_You've been careless with a delicate matter_." The voice said again, but with more anger or frustration or something. Brittany couldn't quite decide the emotion. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know what I was thinking." Santana's voice responded. Britt lingered back still unsure what was happening or why Santana was a "bad, bad girl". Well, Brittany did know ways that Santana was bad, but in a dirty way, and that involved the bed. Somehow, Britt doubted that was what this other person was talking about. "I couldn't help myself. She…" Santana's voice trailed off as if thinking about something or someone. "…just does something to me. I don't know what it is, but when I look at her from the stage, I know only want to be down there next to her. And when I'm next to her, I feel all lit up, like I'm on a stage and she's the only one who can see me."

"Oh Jesus, Santana…" The voice remarked. "This can only end badly."

Britt felt her cheeks flaming up. Her heart was hammering fast. The cop thought only Santana had that effect on her. She didn't know the feeling was mutual. Did spells work both ways?

Too busy worrying about how she felt and what Santana had just confessed, Brittany didn't notice that the voices had cut off. A strong hand came down hard on her shoulder. Instinctively, Brittany's body rolled away from the grasp and ripped backward. A hand flew up into her face which the blonde deftly countered. She didn't have time to look into her assailant's face, but she tried the same move that had been successful on Puckerman's thug last night.

It was easily countered and turned back on her.

Britt ducked right as a closed fist sailed toward her face.

What the-?

He was good. She dropped her whole body to avoid the blow and kicked out, but her attacker had already anticipated her move. Britt glanced up with confusion mixed with appreciation.

_She_ was good.

The sheets that had been half-heartedly covering her body were slipping and a thin sheen of sweat graced the cop's brow. But she wore a smirk on her face. The other woman, older and with some grey in her hair, returned the smirk with one of her own as they prepared to spar off again.

"Shannon!" Santana broke into the space between them with her hands raised. "_Anita."_

Brittany backed down instantly, but the smirk on her face remained.

"Sorry about that, Ms. Santana. I didn't realize your guest was still here and I thought it might be an intruder or some sort of danger to you."

"It's fine and no, this is…" Santana took in a sharp breath. She quickly calculated her options for naming Brittany especially after Shannon had just lectured her on the importance of being careful with fire. Her personal body guard had figured out Brittany was a cop because of Berry. Somehow Berry had spotted them in the club and decided to take matters in her own hands. She released the Beast in order to keep Santana safe – mostly if Puckerman's guards figured out the blonde's identity. "…the woman I was talking about, _Anita._"

"I see…" Shannon said carefully. Her eyes took inventory of Brittany even if the blonde woman had already gained her respect. "I haven't sparred with someone possessing even half of your skill in a very long time. I'm sure you kept Ms. Santana very occupied all night."

The singer blushed hard and Brittany's smirk only brightened at the compliment. Not fully understanding the insinuation, Britt cheerfully responded. "We definitely weren't sparring all night, but I did manage to pin Santana a few times. How did you know? Are you psychic too?"

The red in Santana's face deepened and she had to swallow hard. Shannon shot her a wink and a raise of the brows. It had been hard to believe that Santana – the Santana Lopez – who went through more women than even Puckerman, could have been talking about this woman like she had crush on her in the sixth grade only a few moments ago. And yet, Santana's blush was more telling than any words or explanations.

Oh shit. She really liked this cop. Shannon's smile lost some of its sincerity. This was not good.

"A word, Ms. Lopez."

Santana had been smiling at Brittany. Her eyes kept dropping to the bare skin Britt was so blatantly exposing. It was as if the cop didn't even realize the sheet was sheer and all the excitement and physical excursion had made her tits all the more visible. Fuck.

"Ms. Lopez." Beiste repeated.

"Oh, right." Santana smiled once again to Britt. "I-um-sure. Don't um-leave. I'll be back." She made sure she caught Brittany's eyes and waited for the blonde to know.

Britt wasn't sure where she would be going since a clothing thief snatched all her clothes from last night except for the wig. Seemed kinda silly in retrospect. But she definitely wanted to wait for Santana.

"You should get her out of here. It's not safe."

"But you're not going to tell him anything, are you?"

"Tell him what? I saw you with a girl and everything was good. That's all I will reveal."

"Thank you, Shannon. You really are the best."

"Don't tell anyone though. I have a reputation to maintain." She glanced back over to Brittany and called out. "Maybe we could have another round later?"

"You can count on it." The blonde beamed with a smile.

* * *

They were once again sneaking somewhere.

Brittany was pretty sure Captain Sylvester and Santana were not working together, but both of them were really quite interested in undercover missions. The captain had wanted Britt to infiltrate the Ark and Santana was always trying to sneak her out. At least this time they weren't in Puckerman's play palace club. But why were they still clinging to walls and looking down corridors? She wished that she remembered just a little more about the details of this place. But last night was fuzz still, except for the sex. That was something she wouldn't forget.

Britt pulled on the shirt she was wearing and played with the buttons. Santana had given her a blue plaid button down that still had the tags on it. She explained that her clothes were getting cleaned and they would be sent to her later. Whoever "they" were? The cop thought it was sort of strange, but dismissed it.

The wig had, regretfully, been ditched. Santana tossed it on their way out of the condo. The singer's appearance hadn't really changed much. Apparently whether she was in the club or walking out of her condo, she still liked to rock tight fitting short dresses.

"Let me see you." The brunette pulled Britt through the hallway and into a small alcove. Her eyes once again soaked in every inch of the cop. "Not bad, except you missed a few."

"A few what?" Britt started to ask, but was cut off by Santana's fingers pulling at the sides of the plaid shirt.

"For magic hands, you missed a few buttons." Santana wasn't used to the height difference. Well, not with another woman. There wasn't a lot of talking or standing involved when she slept with women. With Puck, she was used to his dominating presence towering over her. She didn't know why she felt the need to preen her neck or why she didn't feel the need to try to level the distance between their lips. In fact, Santana liked the way her skin tingled and her stomach clenched whenever Britt gazed down into her eyes. It made her feel special in ways Puckerman's gaze made her feel dirty and objectified. "I don't mind helping. You can't be magical all the time."

"Who's to say that I didn't plan this?" Britt asked. Her hands were already snaking up Santana's forearms.

"What?"

"It got you closer…" Britt's eyes did that mysterious twinkle that Santana was beginning to understand was part of the cop's attractiveness. Brittany was making a habit in the very short time they had known each other of taking away Santana's ability to think straight.

"This is dangerous." Santana said after a second. Brittany really shouldn't be caught here.

"You know about Captain Sylvester too?"

"Who?"

"My captain. She's the one who wants to take down Puckerman and sent me to the Ark in the first place."

"Puckerman!" Santana grasped at the straw. "I know you're a cop and I have to assume you have a badge, but not even those things will protect you if he figures out that I slept with you. He'll hunt you down. He doesn't like loose ends."

Britt didn't like the sudden fear in Santana's voice. She quickly glanced around. "Can you talk here?"

"Not really. Can we leave?"

"Sure…" Britt nodded. Santana took her cue and led her down the corridor past a few more doors and men. They were very careful not to be seen. It was strange because it seemed like this was their usual song and dance. To run around and make sure no one saw them because they were in danger. What was even stranger was this was really only their second time together. Britt didn't want to say anything, but she made a silent vow to give Santana some time – some real time when she wasn't ducking Puckerman's men or running around in fear. Britt wanted to make the singer feel comfortable.

Outside, in the back of the building, there was a limo waiting for them.

"This is yours?" Britt stared at the tinted windows with trepidation.

"In a sense."

Again, it was the way Santana never really owned to anything that heightened Brittany's hesitation, but she followed the brunette. They climbed in and Santana tapped the glass three times. "He can drop you off wherever you want."

"Well since I didn't show up to work today, might as well take me home. I have no idea where we are by the way."

Santana looked to her with a smirk. She tapped the glass behind her head with a short, but perfectly painted purple nail. The window opened and with her other hand Santana beckoned Britt forward to reveal her place of residence to the driver. Her dark eyes smoldered with the invitation. "Good."

Britt climbed through the cabin. It was just like Santana was singing; the blonde had no power against her compulsion. She hesitated for a second. Santana was still directly underneath the open window and the driver was waiting patiently. But Santana wasn't moving. There was desire in her expectant pose. Consciously, her left leg slid out. The shift spread her legs into a very unladylike position. Unable to do much else, Brittany's eyes went from the window to between Santana's legs back to her eyes to confirm Santana's devious intentions and then settled for the expanse of flesh the singer was baring for her. Even more unladylike was her lack of clothing. Sure, Santana was rocking that tight dress and pumps, but there was little else in way of covering for the seductress. Britt glanced up to the driver who was getting impatient.

She liked games.

"Good?" The blonde pressed forward. She kept her eyes directly on the driver's, but her hands moved of their own accord. She stepped into Santana's open invitation. Her jean clad thigh pressed into Santana's opening move. The brunette responded. The dress hiked and the hem flipped up. Her pink tongue rimmed her lips wanton with desire.

"Very good."

Britt shuddered at the hot breathed response on her neck as she leaned forward to give the driver her address. Not one to be one-upped, the cop's hand pressed into the leather seat next to Santana's head. The other hand stroked the side of Santana's flushed cheek then trailed down her neckline. The singer's eyes grew wide with her cop's bold advances. The driver pretended not to notice, but his eyes were in the rear view mirror watching the phases of pleasure washing over the blonde's face. "Why's that?"

"Because…" Santana drew out the word. Britt's fingers were snaking down her collarbone, but before she could plunge into the singer's ample cleavage, Santana grasped the cop's wrist. Surprised, Britt broke eye contact with the driver. He coughed and pretended he hadn't been staring at the two lovers. The window slowly closed.

Distracted by the rolling window, Brittany's body went into shock. Santana maneuvered Brittany's hand so her middle and index fingers were dragging down the singer's bottom lip. The cop glanced down just in time to see Santana insert her two fingers right into her full mouth.

"Mmmm-Santana-" Brittany's hips bucked forward. She would have closed her eyes, but there was something so fucking sexy about the way those plump lips looked around her digits that made Brittany's borrowed jeans almost unbearable to wear.

The limo pulled out.

But Brittany's fingers didn't.

Santana's tongue rolled around – up and down their lengths before inserting between them. The blonde moaned even louder. Finally her eyes closed and her body rocked harder. Santana shifted and her muscular legs wrapped around the other's waist. As Santana sucked on Brittany's fingers, the cop couldn't remain idle. She leaned forward making sure her pelvic bone rocked right into Santana's groin. The woman's mouth lost suction for a split second as she gasped. Emboldened, Britt pressed her lips to the rim of Santana's ear. "You still didn't answer my question."

Her fingers…

Popped from Santana's lips. The singer looked up into Britt's eyes under heavy dark lashes. "It means I still get some time with you."

"And you want that?"

"You're the first woman I've ever wanted more than once-" Santana's hands found purchase on the low riding jeans, right where the waistline slipped from Brittany's defined hipbones. "The only woman I've thought about since I saw you on the dance floor in the Ark."

"Yeah?" Those eyes that Santana could see across the club locked to hers once again. Fingers that had previously been in Santana's mouth had wandered between her legs. Wet and seeking to be in the singer once again, they ran up exposed skin and inside thighs. The brunette bit her bottom lip to stop more noise escaping. The cop might have loved dancing and touching herself to the sound of Santana's singing, but the singer died every time her _Anita's _raspy voice quaked against her neck. Her body shook and ached for one more word from those lips, one more touch of those fingers, one more rock of those hips. She impatiently waited for Brittany's next words and they didn't disappoint. "I want to make sure I'm the _only_ woman you'll ever think about."

Neither woman had time to appreciate Brittany's declaration. There was no bass from the club, no purple tube-shooters, no cement walls, or cages to hold them up.

Just those eyes.

She didn't know what she expected, but when Britt declared her intentions, the brunette's body clenched in exhilaration.

Unable to form coherent thoughts or a viable argument against Brittany, Santana just nodded. She tongued at her lips again trying to retain what little moisture hadn't been sucked into the now humid limo cab. Brittany's left hand reached out and cupped Santana's chin with firm sensitivity. Sensual had never been a word she used when describing sex, but Santana's abdomen strained to contain the sensations Brittany's intimate gesture sent coursing through her body. With a grip on her chin and her other hand steadily running up and down her dripping pussy, Santana knew she was effectively caught.

She wasn't about to be fucked.

No. That was too crude, but what they were doing was animalist, it was primal, it was deeper. It made her body ache and throb. And something deeper – her eyes were glued to Brittany's and allowed no inch to look away. Even if she wanted to, Santana couldn't close her eyes. Her lips parted. Short and ineffective breaths mingled with the blonde's heady exhales. Their faces were only an inch apart. But as much as Santana wanted to lift herself up and kiss Brittany senseless, the grip of her temporary lover on her chin kept her firmly in the space of unattainable needs.

Brittany seemed to be just that – an unattainable need.

Santana's hips lifted. She bucked.

Fingers that had been only teasing now started to work. But the expression in the blonde's face never changed. Only her panting. Santana never wanted to submit before. She never even knew submission was possible when having sex, but in this moment, completely enthralled, she wanted to give everything to this woman.

Finally Santana shut her eyes. _Brittany_. She could feel her. _Brittany_. Oh fuck she felt her. _Brittany._ But it wasn't just the way Brittany's body suddenly took over the motion, it was the way Santana felt everything._ Brittany_. They moved together against the leather interior. Up and down. Hips rubbed. Stomachs touched. Sweat exchanged.

_Britt-_ Santana opened her eyes unable to complete the woman's name. She swallowed hard. Those eyes were still staring straight into her. It was like electric running through her body. Everything tingled. Everything throbbed. She wasn't sure when her orgasm started all she knew was that if Brittany ever disconnected from her body, she would surely die. Pleasure upon pleasure. And those eyes never closed, never sought to conquer, but Santana felt herself connected to the other woman in ways she had never felt before.

Her lips parted once again. And those blue eyes witness with relish as another orgasm tore through Santana's body. She should have closed her eyes, but she wanted to share it all with Brittany. It bordered on pain to keep her eyes open as the walls of her pussy pulsed and her hips thrust wildly all the way to the blonde's knuckles. Those blue orbs absorbed it all.

They both collapsed onto the seat of the limo tangled up. Santana still couldn't breathe, but her heart was beating for another reason.

Because that was more than just sex. Better than just sex. Whatever that was – Santana didn't know if she would survive another round of Brittany's full attention.

"Wow…" Brittany whispered into dark strands of hair.

The limo pulled to stop. One knock on the window signaled they had arrived at their destination. But neither girl moved.

"We can stay here for awhile, right?" Britt asked breathlessly.

"Yeah. He can wait."

They closed their eyes.

* * *

Unsure how long they had been resting, both girls had eventually worked themselves around the cabin of the limo. Their clothes were wrinkled, hair was a mess, and it still smelled like sex. They sat on opposite sides of the limo. Britt watched with curiosity as Santana opened the mini bar for a small bottle of alcohol and made herself a drink. Conversation had been sparse since their…moment.

"You do this often?"

"No." Santana's dark eyes which had been purposely avoiding Britt continued to stare into the contents of her glass without consuming the liquid. The abrupt answer caught Brittany off guard, especially after what they just shared. The cop wasn't an expert on relationships by any means, but that had been special. "Do what often?"

"This whole thing…the limo…" Bashfully, Britt continued even though she was fighting feelings of embarrassment. "…the girl…the morning after…the clothes…"

Santana was still reeling from whatever had passed between them. Defensive and out of sorts, she lashed out without thinking. "Yes."

"Oh."

Britt hung her head, but pretended to not be affected. "So, what is Puckerman to you? He can't be your boyfriend because there aren't many girls I know who can do what you did without knowing their way around the ladies…"

She left it open for Santana to deny.

But everything was dangerous. This was crazy dangerous. Puck needed an alibi for last night and she spent it sleeping with a cop working his turf. Stupid wasn't a strong enough word. Her eyes roved over Brittany's earnest eyes and sexy smile. If she got involved in this shit, there was no way to protect her, cop or not. Santana didn't know if she would ever forgive herself if something happened. Besides, she was so close to breaking free from Puckerman's control; one misstep in the form of a beautiful blonde could set her back years.

Was it worth it?

God, how her gut said "yes", but her head took over.

"Forget what happened last night and this morning, Brittany."

"What?"

"You need to forget it. Seriously. This is the last time we can see each other." Santana remembered that she had spoken similar words to the blonde after their escape from the Ark. "I mean it this time. Don't come back to the Ark."

"But-"

"No."

"This is about Puckerman, isn't it?"

"No. You should leave now."

Brittany ignored her statement. "He doesn't own you."

_It's a sad, sad world. When a girl will break a girl, just because she can._

"He does. And I like it like that. So whatever you think this is, Brittany. It's not. And whatever you think happened between us? It was just a hook-up." Santana firmly stated. For the first time since meeting her, that night in the Ark, Santana saw a shift in the blonde's eyes. There was no smile. No playful confidence and certainly no secret moment they were sharing at this moment. Just raw disbelief and incomprehension.

_She was doing wrong and she was going to suffer for her sins._

This was the price for her label and the gigs. This was her price for making a deal with Puckerman all those years ago.

"I see."

"No." Santana said with wistful regret as she opened the door to the limo and pointed for Brittany to make her exit. "You can't see and we won't see each other again."

Brittany nodded and bit her tongue. She couldn't believe how much it hurt to get the brush off from a woman she barely knew. Upon passing, Santana drew her arm back so Brittany wouldn't even be able to brush against her. With one more look back, Brittany stood up from the limo and glanced back. Dark eyes tried to hide feelings and obscured judgment. For a moment, Brittany saw regret, but it was gone with the slamming of the door. The sleek black limo drove around the corner and Brit stood there unable to comprehend that she would never see Santana again.

It just didn't seem right.

* * *

When the limo dropped her off at her apartment, Santana warily noticed the signs of detective cars parked on her street.

Fucking Puckerman.

She walked into the building and inserted her key in the door. Just as she turned it, Mercedes was right there with the biggest and fakest smile on her face.

"Why hello, Santana. So nice of you to join us."

"Us?" Santana returned the smile and asked with curiosity, but she already knew the answer. "I didn't know we were expecting guests."

"Hello, ma'am." A greasy haired older man stepped forward. He held out his hand. "I am Lieutenant Schuester and this is Detective Chang. We were hoping to have a few moments of your time."

"Eh, save it." Santana looked at the offered hand, ignored it, and rolled her eyes. "I know the drill. You want to ask me a few questions _downtown?"_

"Well when you put it-"

"Shh." Santana shushed the lieutenant and looked to Mercedes. "Can you be a dear and call my lawyer Fabray?"

"Don't worry, Tana, she already called for you here. When Puckerman was picked up, he specifically called to make sure you made it home safely from his condo to the apartment after your night together. He didn't want you to be concerned."

"Of course he did. He's such a thoughtful boyfriend." She looked over at the two police officers. This was the last alibi. This was the last time she had to cover for Puck and then she was free. She took a deep breath. "So am I meeting you down there or are you two going to drive me?"

"You can come in our cruiser, Ms. Lopez." Mike answered. He opened the door and the three of them walked out together.

* * *

**Can't wait to continue! Hope you guys enjoyed! :DDD**

**I'm hoping to finish the next chapter of **_**Sirens**_** by the end of the week. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Is it a Crime?**

**3.2 Criminal**

"Blondie One. I don't know what to say." Sue leaned back in her chair. "I've had attendance problems in my squad only once before. Turns out, I forgot that I-" She held up her fingers and made bunny ears to emphasize that she didn't agree with her next word. "-_accidently_ shot that idiot Finn in the leg during one of our training exercises."

Brittany didn't know whether to look horrified or ecstatic that her captain had shot Finn because her superior's expression was a mix between utter elation and anger. So the blonde looked down at the buttons on her uniform and readjusted a pin that she had been "straightening" since Sue had called Britt into her office.

"I told them all to be ready because you never know when someone is playing with live rounds in a training exercise with no live ammunition."

Britt opened her mouth and was about to inform her captain that was not how training exercises worked. But she thought better of her plan.

Sue continued. "What kind of idiot runs away screaming like a girl when someone pulls a gun on them? He didn't even zig-zag." That sadistic smile had returned to her face. It reminded Brittany of her favorite Christmas movie character – the Grinch. "Anyway, I forgot about shooting him and then there was a whole hullaballoo cause I couldn't find him. Thought the lazy ass was skipping work so I docked him for every day he was absent to run one mile on the academy track. Little bastard thought he could sass me by taking up his complaint to HR and Internal Affairs. I had them all running with him – all twenty miles around the track. The fat one from HR fell down around mile number 4. I was riding him so close with my megaphone, that I had no choice but to drive my cart right over his body. It was glorious."

Brittany remained silent as Captain Sylvester continued to reminisce of the "glory days".

"I don't tolerate tomfoolery." Sue raised a brow waiting for a response or some sign of life from her young deputy.

Unsure exactly what Captain Sylvester was talking about, Britt nodded enthusiastically in agreement. "Of course not, Captain, I don't like Tom much either."

Sue's eyes narrowed at Brittany's comment, but decided she had better things to rant about. Besides, she would find this "Tom" later and find out why he was dislikable. It normally meant she would have a reason to like him.

"Blondie One, I expect better from you. I don't care that you almost died the other night because frankly, with your failure to obtain any sort of useful information, it would have been better if you did." Sue took a chug of her protein, grass, green, and "healthy" shake before continuing. "At least then we could have tried to get Puckerman on murder. Your body would have contributed to our case, even if your police work couldn't."

"So I shouldn't be late to work anymore?" Brittany asked and hoped that she had gotten the gist of the lecture. It was hard to follow at times.

Sue rolled her eyes with exasperation and sighed. "Or get killed by a drug and arms dealer in an incriminating way that's useful! Haven't you been paying attention? Get out of here! I've got nothing more to say to you! Waste of space!"

Brittany stood up and quickly placed the officer's cap back on her head and saluted the captain. It seemed safer to get out of the office as quickly as possible before Sue treated her like Finn or that Tom Foolery guy.

Almost at the door, Britt thought she was safe, but Sue's voice barked. "Blondie One."

"Yes, ma'am?" Slowly, the traffic cop turned and placed her fingers to the brim of her cap again.

"I want you to see some real police work."

"Ma'am?"

"You almost died the other night, but you somehow cleared the danger and recovered Blondie Two. I think it might be time to show you how real detectives take down an alibi from the inside to break a case. Besides, it's never too early to start planning for Lieutenant Schuester's retirement slash funeral."

"The lieutenant's dying?"

"One can only hope." Sue muttered and stood up from her desk.

"I'm sorry?" It was becoming harder and harder to follow the captain's conversation.

"Took you long enough, Blondie One. Now straighten that hat and follow me. I'm going to put you in the observation room with Blondie Two."

"Like for an interrogation?" Britt could hardly believe her luck.

"Don't get too excited. It's just a preliminary questioning to determine the state of alibis and what we can glean. We start thinking about who we can crack and who we will have to break."

"Thank you, captain." Britt said excitedly. She couldn't believe that the captain was going to let her in on a case. She only worked traffic duty and didn't expect to move up in rank, not after the Ark fiasco.

"If you would have been to work on time, Blondie, then you would have seen a much higher profile come in for questioning, but now you'll just get the glam status. This one has all show and no substance. She's been in here quite a few times so you'll see a bit of cat and mouse at play too. I want you to pay particular attention to the lawyer because it'll be one of the best cat and mouse games you'll ever see. This particular lawyer, which isn't uncommon, represents this chick and the scum we want to bag."

"This is big. Thank you, captain." Brittany nodded and held the door open for her superior to walk through.

"Less talking, Blondie One, and more groveling. These idiots won't run scared if they see you walking side by side. Step back and head down."

"Yes, captain." Britt fell back to allow Sue the space she needed. The captain had a particular way of walking through the precinct with a scowl on her face. She would look for anything to bark about and she was merciless. It was best to take that extra step back. "Accidents" had happened in the office before. Britt kept her head down, but continued to glance up, just to make sure the captain hadn't changed her mind or was planning some devious punishment for coming in late. Everything seemed legit, but she had heard horror stories and Captain Sue Sylvester was not to be trusted.

They were rounding the corner when Brittany made a choking noise and the toe of her boot stubbed on the floor.

Sue turned around.

"Hair ball, Blondie One? Don't yak it up on me. Keep it moving."

"I-um-" Brittany's eyes locked with the one person she thought she wasn't going to see ever again. In fact, after Santana kicked her to the curb, Brittany had been upset, but she forced herself to get dressed and roll into work. Santana had been so quick to shove her out of the limo and out of her life that it seemed unreal that only an hour later they would be making eye contact across the police department.

Eye contact.

The kind that sizzled and heated the air between two people.

Santana hadn't expected to see Brittany either. Held by the arm, she lingered for a second as if the sight of the blonde officer riveted her motionless. Whatever that lieutenant's name was – Shoekisser or whatever - gave her arm another tug. But Santana remained still. Her eyes ran up Brittany's pressed uniform slacks. They were meant to conform the body so it was hard to sexualize individual officers. Yet Santana's eyes raked up the officer's pants and ran along the seams and then the inseams between thighs that had been wrapped around her head. Unable to control the path of her thoughts, Santana's eyes flicked up to the officer's belt around Brittany's waist and Santana's mind instantly returned to the previous night.

Her thighs instinctively clenched at the memory.

That strap she had hooked her hand into would have been for carrying a firearm, like the one Santana could visibly see on Brittany's hip. Her tongue ran along her bottom lip as she remembered eating the officer out as she had been handcuffed to the bed.

Her eyes touched each and every button. Easily, Santana recalled the curves of her body and the strength of her muscles until her gaze reached the name tag pinned on her breast.

PIERCE

Pierce. The name echoed in her head. Brittany Pierce.

And she remembered.

Shit.

Her eyes quickly met with the clear blue ones and Santana hated what she saw. It wasn't the flashing grin or the knowing glance or even smoldering desire. It was pain.

Santana knew she had fucked up, but it had been the right decision especially considering where she was now and what was about to go down. The more distance between them meant the less likely Brittany would be hurt and that Santana's deal with Puckerman would be broken. He wouldn't give her any freedom with her album or music. It had hurt to talk like that to Brittany, but it was the right decision. It was the right decision – she kept saying to herself after the limo had pulled away.

But now, standing in the middle of the police station and meeting those clear eyes, Santana knew her words could no longer keep her pounding heart from the truth.

"Come on, Ms. Lopez. The interrogation room is this way and your lawyer is waiting for you already."

"Thanks…" Santana wanted to call out or say sorry or something, but the word lawyer starkly reminded her of her contract with Puckerman.

No one could know she had slept with Brittany when she was supposed to have been sleeping with Noah.

Fuck.

Brittany was walking toward the other door which read: OBSERVATION ROOM.

Shoe-kisser pulled at her once more and forced Santana to finally turn away. He ushered her into the interrogation room.

"Blondie One! What is wrong with you?" Sue snapped and Brittany had to quickly look back to her superior. "Let's go."

"Yes, Captain, but-" Britt knew it was dangerous to test the captain's patience, but she needed to know why Santana was here. "-isn't that Santana Lopez? Wasn't she the one I was supposed to get answers from at the Ark?"

"Operative word is 'supposed' and you didn't, so we had to handle things different." Sue opened the door to the observation room. "We have an eye witness saying they saw him in near a shooting last night. He claims he was with his girl, Ms. Lopez. We're just going to push on the alibi a little and see where it gets us."

"Right." Brittany fiddled with her name tag for a second and then stopped. She realized the only reason she was touching the piece of metal was because Santana had been staring so intently at her engraved name.

Sue opened the door. Sam immediately leapt to his feet and placed his hand to his head in a salute. "Captain! I was just sitting because – and – wasn't ready-oh hi, Brittany! I mean- Officer Pierce!"

"I haven't been greeted with such fear since I ran the academy myself. Sit down, Blondie Two. I'm going to join the real police and you two just stay right here and take notes."

Sam's brow was dripping beads of sweat and he didn't breathe until Captain Sylvester walked out the door. Instantly, his chest un-puffed and his hand came down. "Oh my god, she is so scary! I have an a conspiracy theory about how she got to be captain, but I don't know if I should bring it up to Chief Figgins because he seems just as frightened of her as I am."

"You might wanna change your pants if you're actually going to do that." Brittany suggested with a smirk.

"Hey! I only did that once and it was because she scared me in the men's bathroom right as I was about to pee. It was a matter of circumstances!" Sam rubbed at the back of his neck with a frown. "I didn't know women could just go wherever they pleased."

"We can't, but the captain can." Brittany wanted to smile, but her attention was on the one-sided mirror. Lieutenant Schuester was seating the singer and taking his place with Chang on the other side. But they weren't the only people there. Brittany pointed to the very serious, short-haired blonde sitting next to Santana. "Who's that?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't been here all day." Sam glanced to the woman. "That's Puckerman's lawyer, Quinn Fabray."

She was blonde, beautiful, and, Brittany imagined, fierce. This Quinn had eyes like the captain. Britt observed with care the way Quinn's eyes shifted to meet Santana. As the singer sat down, Quinn's hand slipped beneath the table and either touched the brunette's thigh or passed something to her. Britt's eyes narrowed, but she remained still. A second later, Quinn leaned over and whispered something in Santana's ear. Whatever it was, Santana nodded and finally gave her attention back to the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Shoe-less, how can I help you?"

"It's Lieutenant Schuester."

"Whatever." Santana brushed off his name and half-glanced to Quinn. The lawyer's eyes were unreadable, but Britt noticed the way the muscles in her left arm tensed. Whatever communication they were exchanging was happening silently and physically beneath the table. "What's this about? I know you boys didn't bring me in here for some autographs."

Finn, who was stationed at the door, started to open his mouth to ask for an autograph, but the look Chang gave him, shot down his request.

"Ms. Lopez, we've done this a few times regarding your boyfriend and we were hoping if you would sing us a different tune this time." Mike elegantly suggested.

"You're good." Santana said with a smirk and glanced dismissively to Will. "He's not."

"Regardless, Ms. Lopez, we were hoping you could go over some details that will help us with an open case."

Santana's eyes remained on Mike, but once again, Britt noticed her hands underneath the table. Fabray nodded once and flicked her left finger forward like giving Santana permission to speak.

"I would love to talk about my boyfriend." Santana stated with a faux smile.

Brittany internally cringed. This was not the Santana she had spent the night with or the Santana she had touched and caressed in the back of the limo. Dark eyes turned from the table and shifted behind Will's head. Britt flushed at the attention. Santana was no longer looking at the detectives, but to the one-sided mirror. Brittany knew that the singer couldn't see her, but that didn't stop her heart from beating faster.

Off-handedly and distracted, Santana prompted Schue once more. "Shoot, Shoe-steer."

"Schuester." The lieutenant repeated, but Santana pretended not to hear. "Let's start with a quick inventory of your whereabouts last night."

"Let's actually start with an inventory of everyone watching this interview." Santana's eyes were on the mirror, specifically, on Brittany.

"Unimportant." Quinn said before Schue could say almost the exact same thing. "_Santana." _This time the communication was very verbal. Quinn's voice cut right into whatever Santana had been thinking and drew the singer's attention back to her. "That's not important right now, Santana. You need to tell the detectives where you were last night and with whom."

Santana's eyes started to drift back to the mirror, but they slid over Quinn's cold and demanding gaze. Now was not the time. She couldn't think about Brittany behind that mirror. But Santana knew the blonde was watching and it killed her to think about the blonde listening to her. Besides, how could see lie when the one person who could break Puckerman's alibi was the cop behind the glass?

Brittany.

Fuck this was all kinds of complicated.

"Ms. Lopez, you seem nervous, you've never been nervous any other time you've been in here. Has something changed?" Mike asked with disguised innocence.

"I'm fine."

"She's fine." Quinn overpowered the singer's voice with confidence.

"Glad to know…" Mike stressed the words, but his eyes were calculating the exchange between the two females. "Let's continue."

"Sure."

"Can you state your whereabouts last night?"

"The whole night? Or just when I was in the dressing room naked?"

Quinn's hand again.

"Just the pertinent details, Ms. Lopez."

"I'd say as you know, but it's very hard to know if fine detectives, like yourselves, would be invited to the Cage, but I was in the Cage performing."

"And before that?"

"With my boyfriend, Noah Puckerman, we were in the VIP section of the Ark. Everyone in the club saw us."

"Let's get back to the Cage then."

"I'm sure you would." Santana smirked and glanced to Mike. "I think your partner might have a thing for hard kinks with his line of questioning."

"Stay on task, Ms. Lopez." Mike chided her.

Quinn's fingers squeezed the top of Santana's thigh and the singer smirked. "He might not be the only one for kinks. You're getting a little handsy, Q."

"Santana…"

"What? I'm cooperating." Santana sighed. "The Cage is the biggest event of the year, therefore a must attend for both Noah and I. It's his baby. He plans the Cage every season and pays a lot of money to make sure it's big and that I shine."

"Did Puckerman attend?"

"Did he attend? Shoe-ass, he was there the whole time. In fact, I even sang him a song. The place went nuts. You could see us on the big screen. The whole club saw us getting our mack on."

Britt pressed her face to the mirror. Sam was standing next to her.

"Hey, Britt, didn't you go to the club last night? Did you see this Cage thing? Cause it sounds really cool."

"I-um-"

"I mean you said you were going to the Ark to find Santana." Sam continued and didn't pick up on his partner's hesitation. "So did you find her?"

"Kinda…"

"Cause that would be a huge break in the case if you actually knew what she was doing all night." Sam continued. "Besides, if you found her there would be no way she'd be able to resist you. I saw the crazy chemistry you two had the other night. It was off the charts."

"It doesn't matter if I saw her or not, Sam, just drop it." Brittany uncharacteristically became defensive.

"Oh my Sue." Sam had swiftly converted to Sylvesterism after their near death experience at the captain's hands. Britt had tried to tell him that she thought Sylvesterism had a sort of ritualistic cannibalism that wasn't as nice as the wafers at the Catholic churches. Sam didn't heed her warning and every Thursday Britt would worry if Sam was going to make it back from church service. "Oh my Sue!"

He repeated and Britt stared harder into the glass hoping he would give it up. It was hard to hide the red in her cheeks. "Stop taking the captain's name in vain, Sam. She might hear you!"

"Yeah, but maybe she should because you slept with Puckerman's alibi!"

"Sam!" Brittany turned around and clamped her hand frantically to his big lips. "Shut your trap!"

"Mnfaahjanm!"

"You can't say that outloud!"

"Ahklfhankln?"

"I know, but you never know if they have bugs in here too." Britt's face was practically in his. She was fiercely whispering and glancing around the observation room.

Sam's eyes were wide. Brittany's sudden attack for his mouth had startled him. His muffled words were hard to get by her vice grip. "Hhagkljfakjncjh!"

"It's not important!" Britt responded.

"Pleahasn gaoign?"

"I'm not letting you go unless you promise you won't freak out."

"Ipormangah." Sam's eyes got wider and he nodded vigorously.

Brittany sighed and accepted his promise. As she pulled her hand away, her partner was shooting her glares. "Britt, if you go to the captain with this, you could get bumped up on the fast track to detective. Heck! You could take over for the lieutenant!"

"What?" Britt frantically looked from the mirror to Sam to the mirror again. Santana was sitting there with a smug smirk on her face and Quinn's guiding hand underneath the table coaching her answers. Obviously, everything coming from Santana's mouth was a lie, but Brittany was paying attention to her eyes. They were lying eyes – eyes that didn't enjoy sitting in interrogation and didn't appreciate Quinn's constant guidance. Britt remembered how quickly Santana had thrown open the door to the limo. But she also remembered how deep her eyes had been when they had been alone in the back seat. Those eyes hadn't been lying. "That's ridiculous. They'll find a break in the case some other way."

"Holy Sue!" Sam shook his head. "Britt, this is your big opportunity! Just go in there and bust open the interview. It would be so epic just like the movies!"

"It's not like that, Sam." Britt shook her head. "If I do that, she'll go down with Puckerman for giving false witness and might be charged with accessory."

"Yeah, but…is she worth it? Your career?"

"Ms. Lopez, where was Noah Puckerman last night?"

"We spent the rest of the night together."

"Doing what?" Will questioned.

Santana's smirk increased. "I knew you were kinky, but damn, Shoe-dress, you need to get laid."

"Back to the question."

"We spent the night together. Do you need me to be more explicit?"

"The entire night?" Mike took back the questioning.

"Yes, the entire night. Aren't you listening?" She was getting exasperated with the questions. Santana's tone of voice changed just slightly. Britt cocked her head. This was different. Santana's eyes had changed too. They were no longer concealed, but clouded as if she was reliving a memory. "I was very entertained all night."

Quinn's hand under the table was trying to stifle whatever Santana was about to say. The blonde lawyer must have sensed the swing in her client's attitude as well and it worried her.

"Did he leave at any time in the night?"

"Trust me." Santana's eyes focused and readjusted. Her tongue licked her bottom lip. "There was no reason to leave the bed except the one time we were on the floor and s-he was over top of me. Let me tell you, Shoe-perv, it was the best night of my life. I've never had anything like it before."

Now, Santana's eyes shifted to the mirror behind Schue's head. Brittany shivered. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin.

" -"

"I'm not finished!" Santana cut Schue off and Quinn's hand was frantically squeezing at her thigh. "All fucking night, boys. Seriously, have you ever gone all night with someone? Because we were charged. It never stopped. Whatever was pumping through our bodies was magical and I spent the entire night letting that magic go in and out of-"

"_Santana_." Quinn barked. "I think the detectives have enough to go on. I think we all have enough to go on."

Santana eyes snapped away from the mirror. She didn't notice that she was short of breath and her heart was beating faster. Suddenly, she remembered that she wasn't talking about Brittany, but about her employer and the man who owned her future. Her eyes instantly switched and her voice lost sincerity. "What? They asked for detail."

"Tha-thank you, Ms. Lopez, for elaborating." Schue was pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Wow." Sam was pulling at his own collar. "That was hot."

Brittany didn't have anything to say. Sure it was hot to hear about, but she actually experienced it. "Yeah…" She responded, but her own thoughts were on Santana. It was unclear what Puck had on her or what their deal was. Yet, Britt couldn't shake the feeling that Santana wasn't happy. Those eyes…even in the short time they had spent together, Brittany could read her so easily and she knew something was wrong.

"Well, I think that will do for now. If you or detective Chang have anymore questions for Ms. Lopez, make sure you direct them to my firm first." Quinn stood up. "It's time to go now, Santana."

"Sure, but I want to know if my Noah is safe?" Santana was fully engaged in the alibi again.

"Your boyfriend is waiting for you." Chang held the door open for her.

* * *

Brittany turned and exited the observation room to follow them to Puckerman. Sam trailed. "What are you doing, Britt? Are you going to blow the case open? Where are you going? Was that you she was talking about? Cause damn."

"Shut up, Sam."

"It's just I don't understand what you're going to do."

Puck was waiting on a seat not that far away and the moment he saw Santana leaving with the detectives, he stood up and crossed the station. He held his hands out to welcome her to his arms. Brittany distinctively remembered the last time she had seen his hands. They had been wrapped around her throat. Santana smiled, but not the way she smiled at Brittany. It was reserved and calculated. It was meant to convey a very specific emotion.

"Noah, baby. What could these officers possibly think you were doing?" Santana cooed and tucked her body into his embrace.

"The fuckers are trying to pin shit on a legitimate business man instead of doing their fucking jobs." Puck was glaring at the detectives and awkwardly patting Santana on the back. He leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Santana nodded once and then broke away from his embrace. "Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine."

Quinn moved into the space they shared.

"How'd she do?" Brittany heard Puck ask the lawyer.

"Quite a performance." Quinn sarcastically replied.

"Good." He noticed Brittany approaching and gave her a hard, hungry look up and down. Clearly he appreciated what he saw because he didn't call her a 'fucker' or glare. "What can I do for you, officer?"

It was difficult to ignore Santana's eyes bulging as she realized Brittany was standing only a foot away and talking directly to Puckerman. Britt's body hummed in such close proximity to the singer, but she kept her eyes on the crimelord, Puckerman. "I was told to offer Ms. Lopez a ride in my cruiser back to her apartment."

Puck didn't even glance to Santana. "My personal limo can take her. Maybe instead you could take me back to my place…"

He didn't even bother to hide his obvious flirtation. It was disgusting. Nothing between Puckerman and Santana was real. That was obvious.

"Sorry, but my orders are for Santana Lopez alone."

"Pity." Puck tsked as he handed her a business card. "Here's my card. If you ever get sick of police work. Come look me up at the Ark." He glanced to Santana and shrugged. Puck was already leaving with his entourage in tow. Santana's eyes flicked between the two. This wasn't good. Brittany was supposed to stay away so she wouldn't be involved in Puck's bullshit. "You can have her. Let's go. I've got appointments to make up because of this mess."

"Brittany…"

"Save it." Britt cut her off.

Santana fell silent. Her eyes shut closed. They walk out of the station together. Brittany held open the door to the back of her cruiser. Santana hesitated. She had driven in the back seat of the detectives' sedan on her way to the station. They hadn't treated her like she had done something wrong.

"Watch your head." Britt curtly said before she walked around to the front seat. She turned on her computer and entered Santana's information to the system to pull up an address. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised this isn't the address of the place we stayed at last night?"

"Please don't do this." Santana groaned. "I was trying to keep you out of this mess."

"By sleeping with me?" Britt wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she knew whatever Santana was involved in with Puckerman was bad.

"We only went to a bedroom _after_ you fucked me in the Cage."

"And Puck?"

"What about him? You didn't seem to care about our relationship before. What's changed?"

"He's dangerous."

"Like I don't know that?" Santana rolled her eyes and leaned back in the seat. She hated that Brittany had thrown her into the back part of the cruiser. The meshed grate between them reminded her of the lying she had just committed for Puck. "Why are you treating me like a criminal?"

Britt ignored the question. "You deserve better than whatever deal you've got going with him."

"It's the best deal anyone's ever given me."

Blue eyes hit the right angle in the rear view mirror to catch Santana's attention. It was the truth, but it wasn't one Santana had wanted to share. Brittany didn't speak at first, but held Santana's gaze. The light was still red.

"I could give you a better one."

"Ha." Santana rolled her eyes. "You don't even know what he's giving me."

"Obviously, whatever it is doesn't make you happy."

Santana paused, but decided to ignore Brittany's poignant stab. "Is it easy for you? Is it easy to put on that uniform and do your job? Because I have a uniform and a job to do too. They just happen to be less honorable than yours."

"Let me offer you something better?"

"It doesn't work like that."

"So you don't want anything different?" Brittany earnestly asked as she pulled up to Santana's apartment.

"I didn't say that."

"Then what do you want?"

Santana didn't know how to answer. She had a contract and was about to make it big. All she needed was this last alibi to go through and then Puck would take his claws out from her throat and let her sing. Whatever Brittany felt or made her feel didn't matter. This was her dream. This was her one shot to be famous. Her eyes met the blue ones once more and her body rippled from the contact. All those words stuck in her throat because those wants seemed petty when a woman like Brittany was asking what she wanted.

When a woman like Brittany was offering her something different.

She'd be a fool to ignore that the prospect frightened her.

But she wouldn't be her stubborn self if she admitted that Brittany's proposal terrified her.

"I want to get out of this car."

Brittany nodded and opened her door. She walked to the side of the cop cruiser. "Your apartment, Ms. Lopez."

Santana hesitated even more to stand up next to Brittany. They had kept a considerable distance between them and Santana knew all it would take was a single spark for her to reconsider her choice.

"I'm sorry, Brittany, I really am."

* * *

**Ugh angst. I know. I'm sorry. I said love child of Sirens and LT:P-EYE, so there had to be some. I promise it won't last long. :D Thanks again for all the reviews and messages! Hope you have a lovely week!**

**Two more chapters of IIAC left!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone! Really excited since this is the last chapter of IIAC (followed by epilogue)! Super quick warning. There is violence in this chapter. Be warned. **

* * *

**Is it a Crime?**

**3.3 Criminal**

Santana didn't sleep. She spent most of the night tossing and turning. Sometime in the early hours of the morning, she dragged herself out of bed and padded down the hallway. Mercedes' door was always closed, but when Santana tried the handle, it popped without protest.

"Took you long enough." Mercedes groaned and rolled over. She pulled her covers with her to create space next to her in the bed.

"You knew?" Santana questioned. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep.

"Tan, you cooked all afternoon, ate none of what you cooked, and then watched Spanish soap operas."

"So?" Santana sullenly asked even if she knew the answer.

"Get the fuck in already." Mercedes huffed exasperated. "Ain't nobody got time to coddle your ass. Get in and tell me all about it."

It was only in the darkest part of the night when Santana would even entertain the possibilities of letting her walls down. It didn't happen often. It rarely occurred at all. But Mercedes always made it easy for Santana to unload. They both carried a lot of weight and they had learned to shoulder it by themselves for a long time. It made asking for help harder.

Santana slid into the covers and pulled them up. As she shut her eyes, her body finally started to relax. Exhausted, she melted into Mercedes' incredibly soft mattress. "What's wrong, girl?" Mercedes asked, but didn't turn in Santana's direction. For which the brunette was grateful. No response. Mercedes groaned aloud. Santana was so fucking stubborn sometimes. It was like pulling teeth. Thank God Mercedes already had a pretty good understanding of her best and only friend. Even if they weren't friends, they were in the same position.

They made a deal with the same devil.

"Nothing. My bed was just fucked up and I need some sleep before we have to go on stage."

Mercedes smirked at the response and offered her one word opinion on Santana's excuse. "Lame."

"Shut up, Cedes. You know my mattress is shit."

"No. I don't go near that bed cause I've _heard_ the reasons your mattress is shit."

"Whatever."

"Santana." Mercedes knew tonight was going to be one of those nights when her friend was harder to open up than usual. "What happened at the precinct today? Was it Puckerman?"

Santana shook her head and fluffed the pillow harder. No answer.

Mercedes sighed and turned back to face her friend. One look into Santana's eyes and Mercedes puffed hot air from her nose. "All this over Puckerman?" Santana said nothing. Mercedes knew it couldn't be the real reason for her agitation and sleepless night. "No? So it's got to be fake cop." This time it wasn't a question because Mercedes had known blonde legs was the real source of Santana's problem from the moment her friend returned from the police station.

"She's a real cop." Santana mumbled into the pillow with another exaggerated groan. Little did she consciously realize, she was mimicking Brittany's own words from the other night in the dressing room.

"How real?" Mercedes dreaded the answer. Her heart rate picked up as she thought about al the ways Santana's dalliance could lead to Puck's downfall and what that would mean for the woman providing him with alibis. She tried to keep her voice as even as possible. "Did she blow your cover? What happened, Tan? Did Puckerman find out about her?"

"No. No. Nothing happened." Santana kept saying into the pillow. "And she's the real fucking deal, Cedes. Badge-" _Pierce_. The name flashed through Santana's mind. "Cuffs. Gun. And, Jesus, the uniform."

"Don't you dare get all turned on in my bed." Mercedes smacked Santana's exposed shoulder. For the first time that day, Santana cracked a smile. "That's nasty."

"Shut up, Mercedes. It's not like that."

"Oh it definitely was _like that_." Mercedes emphasized as she remembered walking in on the two of them multiple times every time the blonde was around.

"Not anymore." Santana shut her eyes even harder.

And they finally got to the kernel of Santana's problem. "What happened with her? Did you guys break up?" She paused and rethought her question. "Can you break up if you were only fucking on the dance floor? What kind of break up is that? A booty break up? Cause it shouldn't be affecting you this badly."

"A booty break up?" Another smile cracked her face.

"Well you're not giving me anything to work with, Tana."

"It's fine and it wasn't a break up. You're right. She didn't mean anything."

Mercedes allowed Santana about two seconds to believe that lie before she challenged her friend. "_Didn't mean anything_ would definitely look a lot different than this. In fact, _didn't mean anything_ would mean another girl in your bed right now."

"Whatever."

"If you're going to give me 'tude, you can skip on over to your own bed." Mercedes offered without compassion. "What did she do to you? Cause you know I'll kick her sweet ass all the way back to the police station she came from, hun."

"Not what she did to me…" Santana muttered.

"Oh, Tan…" Mercedes reached out to brush her friend's hair. "What did you do?"

It was rhetorical. No answer was needed. Mercedes pulled Santana into her body and Santana didn't have to say another word. In the morning, they would pretend their conversation never happened. And they would openly agree that whatever Santana did was for the best. But this private confession, this moment of intimacy and self doubt, would forever remain unspoken. Both of them would remember it, but never speak of it again. There was a price for everything and in the light of day, they convinced themselves that they would sacrifice anything for the payout.

* * *

"He's not in a good mood."

"He's never in a good mood."

"No." Rachel was checking the monitors from the security booth. "He's always happy when he evades the cops."

"Maybe he's just having a bad day." Mercedes hated it when Rachel kept pushing – which was all the time. The head of security at the Ark never stopped pushing. Maybe that was why she provided such good security for a business front like the one Noah was running. Little details never escaped a woman as pushy and noisy as Rachel Berry. "Let it go."

"No. There's definitely something different today." Rachel insisted. "How did the interview go yesterday with Santana?"

"It was fine."

"How about the security footage?"

"I didn't see it, but I assume that the cops checked it out and couldn't find anything amiss."

Mercedes shrugged. When did she get caught up in Puckerman's shit? She had wanted a career and she got one. Puck was convinced because of her weight, that she would never be a big hit. But he kept her on. And a month later, he brought Santana in. Mercedes saw the way Puckerman seemed enthralled by the woman and how much time he was spending with her. What started out as a friendship of convenience to get more track time, ended up actually gaining a friend. Now after last night's breakdown, the first one in a very long time, Mercedes was genuinely concerned about Santana. She wanted to make sure her friend had been careful the night before – just as a precaution.

"Of course they wouldn't!" Rachel sighed and dramatically threw her hands in the air. "Do you know how hard it was to edit the security feed? You should have seen the feed though." Rachel started fanning herself. "They were _quite_ handsy with each other. Really they could have practically been-" She paused to think of way to frame her words without sounding vulgar. "-_doing the dirty_ in the middle of the Cage with all those people around. They were that close to each other."

"Doing the dirty?" Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Come on, Berry, you're a grown woman and for your information, if you thought they were close enough to be fucking, then I guarantee one of them had their hands up the other's skirt."

"Eww!" Rachel squealed. "That's so unsanitary!"

"Seriously…how are all the guards up in here afraid of your white ass?"

"I won't stoop so low as to answer that Ms. Jones, but I'll have you know that I could toss your bottom out of here with the snap of my fingers!"

"Just like that?" Mercedes teased her by snapping her fingers at the head of security.

Rachel smiled and looked back at the footage. "I had to do so much work with Zizes to make sure the quality of the inserted Puck didn't drop. It's hard making Puck the one making out with Santana all the time. But at least this girl was tall so it was a little more believable."

"So it's all good?" Mercedes wanted confirmation.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Rachel was confident in what she had produced with Lauren. "Wait. Is this why Puck is in a bad mood? I knew it! I knew he was in a bad mood! Lauren!" She was shouting into the side room attached to the security booth. "Lauren! I was right! Puck's in a bad mood!"

"I didn't say that!"

"I could feel his sexual frustration through the screen this morning!" Lauren called back with a _Mhmm_ attached.

"Lauren, catching him with his pants down and a magazine doesn't count as real sexual frustration. He was relieving himself in a constructive, if somewhat disgusting manner."

Mercedes made a face followed by a noise of absolute disgust. "Okay, those are details this girl did _not_ need to know."

"Still the sexual tension between the two of us is palpable."

"Excuse my esteemed colleague, she thinks she is having some sort of an affair with Puckerman."

"Ignore the addle brained canary while I confirm that Puckerman and I are getting it in on the regular, Mercedes. I know you feel me on that." Zizes gave them both a satisfied smirk.

"No, no I do not feel you on that. More information that I didn't need to know…" Mercedes shook her head trying to rid it of the nasty images in her mind. "Definitely didn't need to know…"

"Anything else you need?"

"Rachel…remember when we talked about pulling the trigger on that one plan we jokingly talked about?" Mercedes asked in a hushed tone. She liked Zizes, but she wasn't entirely sure she could trust a woman fantasizing about having an affair with Puckerman.

It didn't matter.

Rachel made a noise that sounded like a cat getting strangled. Her eyes got wide and she was smiling like the Cheshire cat on crack. "Oh. My. God. Mercedes! I thought when we talked about that plan it was mostly the alcohol talking, but I've been making plans ever since that night on the off chance that you actually wanted to go through with it. I have a whole ten step plan outlined in a small booklet I made. Hold on while I go get-"

A cracking noise stopped Rachel in her tracks.

"Berry." An intercom interrupted all the information sharing taking place between the women.

"Yes, boss?" Rachel's face instantly morphed. Her attitude was all business now. Mercedes took a step back. Had Puckerman been listening to their conversation? Did he know about their plan? If he did, Rachel was amazingly calm.

"I need you to send me the original video from last night's Cage with Santana's performance."

Rachel gave Mercedes a look that said don't worry, but she had a hard time believing the head of security. Puckerman wasn't a man to fuck around with. "Anything else, boss?"

"Yes." The intercom paused before buzzing again. "Send Santana to my office. We have some business to discuss."

The intercom clicked off. Mercedes still didn't feel comfortable. She knew that Santana's terms for her contract were ending. According to her deal, she should be off the hook as Puck's girl and start really recording her music in a studio outside of the Ark. "So everything's good, Rach?"

"I still think he's in a bad mood." Rachel had forgotten about her reasons to be ecstatic.

"Yeah, but you said that you cleared the tapes for the cops and that it was good. So why would he want them?"

"It is strange." Rachel was thinking out loud to herself. Zizes had already sent the video footage to Puck's computer. "Do you mind telling Santana about Puckerman's request?"

"I've got her." Mercedes quickly said, but added for reassurance. "It's got to be about her contract. She's fulfilled all the stipulations. So it's got to be a good thing, right?"

Rachel said nothing.

"Right, Rachel?"

"Oh! Yes! Of course. It's definitely has to be good!" Rachel gave her a big smile. "I'll see you soon, Mercedes!"

Her answer had been the opposite of comforting.

* * *

Santana knocked on Puck's door. For some reason, she didn't feel quite right about tonight's meeting. She wasn't on the schedule to sing, but she always had to make an appearance in the VIP lounge just for the public eye. She had shown up at the Ark early with Mercedes to do make-up, but she ended up washing some dishes with the bug-eyed woman Brittany had been talking to the first night they met. Santana never did chores around the Ark, but she needed to do something to keep her mind occupied.

She was just putting the finishing touches on her make-up when Mercedes popped into the dressing room with a message from Puckerman. Cold and feeling insecure about her recent decisions, Santana hadn't even noticed when she grabbed the cop's jacket from the closet. Now she played with the zipper and waited for a response.

"Come in."

She entered the office. It overlooked the Ark dance floor, but the glass windows were tinted so no one could see into his office. The entire décor reeked of modern essentialism aesthesis – just bad taste. Puck sat at his desk and smirked as he watched his pet singer enter the room. His eyes didn't bother to mask the way he leered at her tight fitting dress or how they lingered on her cleavage. Santana remembered the way Brittany's eyes would rove over her body. Those blue orbs made her feel beautiful and alluring; they begged to know more about her and stuck fast to her own eyes without making Santana feel like a piece of meat.

Puck's eyes made her sick.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Well." Puck smacked his lips. "I wanted to talk to you, but damn, you know I love looking at you too."

Normally, Santana would have bit back with a response about fucking off, but she wasn't feeling it tonight. "Talk about what? My contract?"

"My my you are all business tonight." Puck moved around his desk and circled around Santana's body. It took all of her will power not to move away from his predatory stalk. His hands slid around the jacket covering her torso. He slipped his hands underneath the material and took his time sliding it down from her shoulders. Santana's body froze and her teeth clenched at his invasive touch. He tossed Brittany's jacket on his own over his desk chair. "Why don't you relax, Santana? We can get down to business after a little pleasure."

Wary, Santana didn't trust Puck's tone or his attitude since she entered the room. He normally was jovial following another successful alibi. He sould be throwing a party and celebrating with whatever money had had scored that week on arms deals or drugs. This was neither. She took a seat on the sofa.

He plopped onto the single lounge chair across from her with a wicked grin on his face. The alcohol he poured for her remained on the table. Santana didn't feel much like drinking. Puck noticed, but said nothing. He knocked his drink back completely before reaching across the table between them. He took her drink in his hand and started to sip on the contents.

Santana cocked an eyebrow at him. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Lots of things, my little songbird, but first…" Puck picked up a remote and clicked on a button. The big screen in the office turned on. "Let's talk about last night? How'd it go?"

"Good." Santana felt uncomfortable. "Don't you remember? We were together the entire time."

He laughed, but Santana could tell he didn't find her joke amusing. "That's a good one, Santana. That's a good one. But really. How was your night? Anything exciting?"

"No. Nothing."

"Weird." Puck pressed a button on the remote and footage of the Cage started to roll. "I see you made a friend the other night."

Santana's body froze. Puck was never really that interested in who she slept with, as long as she obeyed the rules and made him a tight alibi when he would get called in for questioning. Her mind flipped to images of Brittany's naked body all over the suite. What could he want to know?

"What do you mean?" She asked cautious and weary that Puck could be genuinely curious about the police officer she had bedded last night.

Her dark eyes glanced to the screen. It was fast forwarding to her performance. He paused the video right on Brittany's face. "I pulled the footage from the Cage." Puck shrugged. "The edited version was decent in the precinct, but I prefer this version."

The camera focused on Brittany when she started to dance to _Oops._ In the heat of the moment, Santana had been unable to take her hungry eyes away from Brittany's body. Now she purposely averted her eyes so Puck couldn't read anything from her about the cop. She tried to deflect.

"What about it? That's what always happens. You've never really cared what girl I've gotten with before." Santana instinctively tried to protect the only person she had ever felt a connection to besides Mercedes and, she would never admit it, Rachel.

Puck smirked. "She was hot."

"Who? The girl?" Santana dismissed the screen with the wave of her hand. Maybe she should have taken the drink.

"Who?" Puck laughed derisively. "That sweet piece of ass you were dry humping on the floor. Or…" He trailed off with a smirk. "…maybe we should call it wet humping because, baby, I've never seen you turned on like that before."

Santana felt a deep red flood her cheeks as she looked away from her employer, boss, owner, manager, whatever he was – he controlled what she was and what she did. Puckerman could do that to her, but she hated the way he talked about Brittany like she was just another woman he could buy or own. It felt wrong that he had seen her with the officer. "Shut it." She tried to brush him away.

"Shut it?" Puck's tone shifted. "I'd shut it, but you see when I was reviewing the footage, I realized that I'd seen that sweet piece of ass before."

Santana's heart jumped to her throat. "What?"

"Don't fuck with me." Puck stood up from his chair. "You stupid fucking slut."

"Noah…I don't know what-"

Puck's hand connected with her face. Santana staggered back. Shocked, she tentatively touched her cheek where he had so violently hit her.

"Don't ever fucking lie to me!" Puck was advancing on her. He overpowered her attempts to keep him at bay. His right hand wrapped around her throat and he lifted her from the floor. Santana gasped and struggled against his grip. "It was that fucking blonde cop! You fucking bitch! What did you tell the cops?"

"Nothing!" Santana squeezed out the word. Her eyes were watering. He kept his grip and Santana could feel herself losing consciousness.

"If I go down, you're going down with me! You think this is bad? It's only going to get worse. You made a big fucking mistake Santana Lopez and you're going to spend the rest of your life making it right." Puck threw her back. Santana struggled and crawled to his desk to find something to help pull herself up.

He wasn't finished. "That was dumb, Santana. So fucking dumb. You can consider our negations for your contract finished. You're mine until you make this right and I know where the fuck your loyalties lie. Understood? I pulled you out of the pit you were living in and made you a fucking star. You owe everything to me!" He was sitting on the sofa now watching her struggle to get up. Santana took her time. Her hands were trembling as she found the arms of his desk chair and lifted herself up. "You're lucky I don't punish you further. Now…thank me for my generosity."

Santana gritted her teeth and clenched the arms of the chair harder. Her eyes were boring holes into the fabric of Brittany's jacket next to Puck's suit coat on the chair. "Thank you." She mustered with the last of her pride.

"I'm so happy we could clear this up, my little Songbird, but I think there is one more thing you could do for me…"

What more could he possibly want? Santana was already sure that he would kill her before the end of the night. Sweetly, she asked. "What's that?"

"I want you to sing a song tonight, mi Tanita, as a sign of good faith."

She hated when he would attempt to bastardize her name like she was his pet. It just reminded her of how he owned her. "It's not my night to sing."

"Consider this a special request since we are practically renewing our vows together." Puck's fingers danced along the arm of the couch and reminded Santana of how he had just choked her.

"What can I sing for you, sir?" Santana distinctively felt the possessive threat in his wandering digits.

"Sing a song about how you fucked up, my little Songbird. Because you stole my trust and squandered it. You could have had it all, but now you've thrown it all away for a one night stand with a cop! A fucking cop!" Puck's fingers tightened on the arm rest with anger, but he snorted through his nose to release some of his fury. "You're going to go on stage and you're going to tell me how you've been a bad, bad girl." His eyes were dangerous and scary.

Santana nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Get out of here. I want to see you on the stage in fifteen minutes." Quickly, she gathered the bundle of jackets in her hands and pulled them close to her chest. "And Tanita…" He was cutting a cigar from the box on the table. "Clean yourself up. You look terrible."

* * *

Santana felt sick. Her brow was sticky and her hands were clammy. She had done something very bad – very wrong. There were chills going up and down her body and the hands on her shoulders made her flinch internally. She clutched the bundle in her arms tighter. The hands on her grew bolder as they steered her through the back section of the Ark. They weren't going to let her go anywhere. Puckerman wanted a special song dedication and Puckerman always got what he wanted.

"Just let me drop my jacket in the dressing room." Santana pleaded with Puck's thugs. These men were not with Rachel or they would have the munchkin's wrath from their ear pieces at their rough handling.

"Hurry up. You're on stage in five."

"Whatever."

"Don't push it."

Santana didn't want to push it. Puck's office had been pushing it enough. She didn't want to push anything. Not like that. She moved to close the door to the dressing room she shared with Mercedes, but a thick hand prevented the door from shutting all the way. "Door open."

"Just looking for a little privacy."

"Not gonna happen."

Santana rolled her eyes and pulled at the jackets in her arms tighter. She walked over to the closet. Carefully, she tucked the jackets in the closet so no one would notice that she had one more than what she started with. She took a deep breath. This was stupid. This was going to get her killed. But it was too late to back out now. Her "escort" was still waiting for her.

"All done?"

* * *

This wasn't like a regular performance. Normally, Santana would take the stage and own it because she was in her element. The Ark was a safe haven, even when Puck was watching her performance, because she knew the guards watched over her, Beiste was never too far, and she was the most marketable product Puckerman was selling with his legitimate business front.

Tonight, she didn't feel the same security.

This was bad.

She spared a thought to the jackets in the closet of her dressing room. One word flashed through her mind – safety.

All she had to do was perform well enough to keep Puck content in his position of power. One song. Just one fucking song and if no one came for her in the night then she would survive. She wouldn't end up like Sunshine at the crack house. God. She couldn't end up like Sunshine. Just one fucking song.

Santana waited for the house DJ to start her introduction. He was calling out the animals and getting the Ark rocking like he always did, but this time, Santana wanted him to introduce someone else. Anyone else.

"The lovely, the talented, the beautiful, and the sexiest woman to ever grace the mic, Santanaaaaa Looooooooooopezzzzzz!"

The crowd cheered and Santana puffed out her cheeks as she attempted to calm herself down.

One fucking song.

The song he wanted her to sing.

He wanted power and he wanted to remind her that he owned her.

The velvet of the curtains touched her senses as she remembered how comfortable the leather of the cop's jacket felt. And it went straight back to the one woman she couldn't get past. She just couldn't forget her and she wasn't moving on. It all went back to Brittany.

She stepped out onto the stage. The crowd was waiting. From the piano on the stage and the lowered lights, they knew it wasn't going to be a club thumper or even a dance song. But they never knew what to expect when they came to the Ark because Santana Lopez performed when Puckerman wanted and sang what made him happy.

The piano came in dark and moody. The lights dimmed even further and purple under hues lit up the staging from beneath. It felt like the Cage, but without the endgame. Then she had been practically dying inside to take the stage. She had dragged Mercedes onto the dropping platform with her. There had been no compromise; she was going to descend into the madness with one purpose – Brittany.

This time she lacked a focus.

Her dark eyes scanned the crowd. But she knew the cop wouldn't be in the crowd. Santana didn't want to see her there. The look in Brittany's eyes when the officer had dropped her off at her apartment had been terrible and final. Only a fool would come back to the Ark after the way Santana had dropped Brittany.

The darkness of the crowd against the purple lights on the bars in the distance drew her eyes up to where she first sang to Brittany. It was a bad idea, but it was the only option she was willing to take. She didn't want to live like this anymore.

The piano started. The lights realigned on Santana and her eyes looked up to the tinted windows of Puck's office. He would want to watch her act of contrition.

_I've been a bad bad girl_

She could feel his hands around her throat. Santana hated it – she hated everything about him, his deal, and what she had become.

Her dark eyes set upon the stool where _Anita_ had been.

Fuck it.

_I've been careless_

_With a wonderful woman_

She changed the words and decidedly refused to look to Puckerman's office anymore. She had made a mistake, but it wasn't the one he wanted her to apologize for.

_And it's a sad sad world_

_When a girl will break a girl_

_Just because she can_

Santana gripped the base of the microphone and pulled the stand closer. Her lips pressed against the mesh as her lungs expanded.

_Don't you tell me to deny it_

She glanced to the side staging area where Mercedes silently watched her performance. Santana knew her best friend was worried for her.

_I've done wrong and I want to suffer for my sins_

_I've come to you_

_Cause I need guidance to be true _

_And I just don't know _

_Where I can begin_

Her eyes turned away from the empty stool and back to the crowd. They were swaying and dancing. It didn't matter that her song wasn't like her usual set list. They were intoxicated and the house DJ had a way of spinning back tracks so anything was danceable.

_What I need is a good defense_

Quinn was out of the picture.

_Cause I'm feelin' like a criminal_

The word criminal stuck in her throat as Santana remembered the disappointment in Brittany's clear blue eyes.

_And I need to be redeemed_

_To the one I've sinned against _

_Because she's all I ever knew of love_

The song continued on and Santana faced the crowd. Her eyes and words stayed as far away from Puck's darkening gaze as possible. She prayed that he would be too occupied thinking about how he had just put her into place to notice the subtle changes to the song.

The end of the song was coming. Her voice rose in volume and sincerity.

_Oh help me but _

_Don't tell me to deny it_

_I've got to cleanse myself_

_Of all these lies till_

_I'm good enough for her_

Santana thought about Brittany in the crowd and belted out the verse for her alone.

_I've got a lot to lose_

_And I'm betting high_

_So I'm begging you_

_Before it ends _

_Just tell me where to begin_

She kicked into the refrain before the final verse

_Let me know the way_

_Before there's hell to pay_

_Give me room to lay the law_

_And let me go_

_I've gotta make a play_

_To make my lover stay_

Her voice took incredible power and control as she the final words and pushed them through the Ark.

_So what would an Angel say?_

_The Devil wants to know_

Santana finished the song and looked over the crowd. The DJ took over the music blending the final elements of Fiona Apple's "Criminal" with house music and pieces of dub. Santana allowed the lights to dim before she looked over to Mercedes. The look in her friend's eyes confirmed her deepest anxieties.

She was going to do something stupid, but at least Cedes had her back.

Something very stupid if Puckerman let her survive through the night.

* * *

"Pierce?" One of the floor runners came barreling down between the desks of the precinct.

Brittany turned. She was confused. Normally, she would come in, get her assignments from the lieutenant and then go out for the rest of the day. Sam and her were so low on the totem pole, that most of the department didn't even know their names. Traffic cops didn't get a lot of attention and after their mess-up, both of them tried to keep their heads down as much as possible.

"Yes?" Britt answered, very confused. "You need me?"

"Yeah. At least I think…" He was younger than Sam or Britt and kept losing his place as he fumbled through his cart of mail. "I've been trying to find your desk, but then someone told me that you don't have one."

Britt blushed, just a little bit embarrassed at her lack of authority in the force. They were definitely at the bottom. "I don't have one yet."

"It's cool. Not a problem since this is the only thing I've ever seen with your name." He finally found the box and pulled it out. "Here it is! Addressed to Officer Pierce."

"Why are you getting packages? Why doesn't anyone ever send me anything?" Sam was moaning next to her.

"Your mom sent you some socks last week!" Brittany reminded him. Sam instantly stopped talking and turned bright red. "Who would send me something?"

"Could be an admirer of your artwork on their parking ticket…" Sam mused next to her, but he was incredibly curious about the box as well. He couldn't wait any longer. "Open it already, Britt!"

She moved over to an unoccupied desk and carefully pulled the brown wrappings off the box. As she slit the tape holding the flaps together, Britt realized she recognized the handwriting on the address. Her hands stilled.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked and then his eyes grew wide. "Oh my Sue! Is it a bomb? This is just like the movies! Don't move! I'll get the bomb squad in here!"

"Sam! No! It's not a _bomb_." She said the word in a hushed voice. "It's from…_her."_

"Oh. So like a metaphorical bomb?" Sam sat at the other chair at the desk.

"Stop saying bomb!"

"Stop stalling and open it!"

Ignoring Sam, Brittany flipped the flaps of the box open. She never thought she would hear from Santana again. Her brush off had been a definite ring of finality. There was a card bearing the small songbird in the corner.

_To My Anita_

"Anita?" Sam asked. "Like your undercover name? I thought she knew your name."

Brittany barely heard Sam's prattling. Her hands moved of their own accord as she flipped the card over.

_You were right. I want something different._

A lump caught in the police officer's throat as she remembered their last exchange. Underneath the card was her dark leather jacket from the first night they had met. Brittany lifted the jacket up, but realized that it wasn't the only thing in the box.

"What?" Brittany dug deeper and felt something hard and cold. "Oh shit."

"What?" Sam asked excitedly. "When did you give her a suit jacket? Were you wearing one? Cause I thought we went with a dress/Cher wig combo the second time?"

"It's not mine." Britt whispered, but she was preoccupied to explain any further. "Holy shit." She looked up at Sam with a huge grin on her face. "You wanted the dramatic reveal like the movies?" Sam nodded enthusiastically. "You're about to get it. Holy shit. I need to find the captain right now."

"What is it? What's in the box? Is it like Seven? Cause you shouldn't touch her head! Is it her head!?" He was yelling and running after his partner. "Oh my Sue! This is so exciting, but what's in the box?"

* * *

_One_

_Two_

_Three_

Brittany kicked in the door just like she learned at the academy. She entered with authority and her gun raised. Sam was on the other side of her followed by four other cops. Schuester was taking his time discussing how they would proceed with the case to Mike. The gun that had been rolled up in Puckerman's suit coat wasn't enough for a conviction and probably would be tossed out of evidence, but it did give the judge enough to sign off on a search warrant for Puck's residence and any building he owned. It had been connected with several murders – bullets matched and everything. Police were already tearing through his suite and found all sorts of evidence and records about his various dealings.

The door splintered and cracked. A voice raged from inside the office.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" Puck was roaring from behind his desk. "Where the fuck are my guards? Berry!" He was yelling through his intercom, but no one responded.

Brittany walked into the room. "Noah Puckerman, you are under arrest." She started his Miranda Rights. The cuffs in her hand dangled as she approached. Puck didn't look too thrilled. Brittany went to slap the cuffs on, but he pulled back and made an attempt at her. She dodged his attack with ease slipping out of his stranglehold and quickly cuffed him before he even knew what was happening.

"What the fuck! Get off of me! What is happening? Where is Berry? I want my lawyer! You can't just come in here and arrest me! On what evidence!?"

After she read him his rights and started to drag him out of the office, Brittany asked the one question she was dying to know. "Where is Santana Lopez?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Puck snapped and then it all clicked. "That bitch! She sold me out! That fucking cun-"

A swift kick to his midsection prevented him from completing his word. Brittany shook him and pulled him to his feet. "You will _not_ talk about her like that again. Now, stand up."

"You'll pay for this. You and that slut."

Brittany shoved him into a wall and pulled him back. His nose was bleeding. "Oops. Looks like my hands slipped."

"God damnit! Where is my lawyer!? Call her! Call her right now!"

Britt wanted to find Santana. She needed to know if she was okay. Puck was a violent asshole and she had seen how quickly his goons had kidnapped and beat the shit out of Sam. Maybe this was the only way to find her.

"If I call your lawyer, will you tell me where Santana is?"

"Yes! Fuck! I will tell you where the little-" Britt's eye brow raised as a challenge and Puck revised his next words. "-I will tell you where she is. Just call my lawyer."

"Give me her number." Britt pulled out her phone and dialed the numbers he dictated out loud. She waited and put it on speaker phone.

_You've reached the voicemail of Quinn Fabray, legal advisor and counsel for Berry Record Labels and representative for Two-Toned Trouble, the duo of Santana Lopez and Mercedes Jones. If you are calling in regards to the impending world tour of Two-Toned Trouble, please leave a message. All other calls should be directed to my office._

_Beeeeeeeeeeep_

Puck's face said it all. He had no idea. Brittany couldn't believe it either. Two-Toned Trouble? A big smile spread across her face. Santana made a break for it and when she sent Brittany Puck's gun, it had been the first step.

Brittany clicked the phone off with pride.

Good for her.

Puck was moaning with his eyes closed. He knew he was fucked. Brittany almost felt sorry for him. His entire empire was crumbling in only a matter of minutes and with all the evidence they would find, he would spend the rest of his life remembering this moment from behind bars.

And it was all because of Santana.

Britt couldn't contain her smile as she led the crime lord through the Ark for the last time.

* * *

After all the paperwork and evidence bags, Brittany was spent. She couldn't feel her feet and her mind was numb, but there was something she still wanted to do.

Santana.

She couldn't stop thinking about the singer. During the course of the day, Brittany had taken breaks from evidence collecting to search the dressing room, talk to Emma, and to search the back areas of the Ark. But there were no signs of Santana. Now that she was finally off the clock, Brittany pulled her number from the police data base and wanted to call her. She didn't know why she was nervous as she punched in the number and hit the call button.

But just like Quinn's number, it went straight to voicemail.

_This is Santana Lopez. I'm starting my world tour for my album with my girl Mercedes-_ There was screaming and shouts of excitement in the background. It sounded like a party. _–and I have no idea when I'll be back!_ She was no longer talking into the phone, but she hadn't cut the voice message off yet. _We did it! We did it!_ The background voices were screaming and then the voicemail clicked.

_Beeeeeeeeeep_

Brittany nodded her head with a soft smile. Santana did it. She was going to have her different life and that was good. Yet the phone felt especially heavy when she slipped it into her pocket.

"Hey! Britt!" Sam was coming out of the precinct. "You finally going home too?"

"Nah." She turned back to the door he had just exited. "I've got so much paperwork to do on this case and it's only the first day."

"Whoa! You're nuts! We've been here all day!" Sam shook his head. "But I get it, you've got to look good in there."

"What?"

"You've got to look good." Sam repeated. "I overheard the captain talking about moving you to the fast track. You did it, Britt! You're definitely getting out of traffic duty after this."

"You're just saying that!" Britt didn't feel like she did anything. It had all been Santana.

"And you're being ridiculous if you don't think so. Mark my words Officer Pierce, you'll be making Detective in no time!"

"Sure. Sure. I've got work to do first." Britt didn't believe a word he said. Besides, she was thinking about something – someone – else as she reentered the building.

* * *

**Thus ends IIAC! **

**Nah! Just kidding. We've got an epilogue which is just another way of me saying chapter! :D**


	10. Epilogue

_**Is It a Crime?**_

**Epilogue: Is It a Crime?**

_She didn't know what she needed. Clothes were scattered about the room. Her hair was a mess. She couldn't find anything important. All her passports, IDs, documentation, and even her license was gone. Everything she could have possibly needed to skip town had vanished. Santana felt her throat closing up. This was the work of Puckerman. It was the only explanation. He wasn't going to let her go. _

_Her chest was seizing. _

_Santana felt more trapped than ever before. _

"_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." The hinges of the dresser drawer snapped as she yanked it out. "Fuck!"_

_It didn't matter. She was leaving with or without an ID, her money, or a passport._

_Her dark eyes flickered to the brown box. Two words stood out from the address on the sealed lid: Officer Pierce. _

"_Santana…What. Are. You. Doing?" Mercedes annunciated every single word from the doorway of her flatmate's room. _

"_Fuck!" Santana jumped three feet in the air, caught completely by surprise. "Mercedes! Jesus! You scared me!"_

"_Oh I scared you?" Mercedes looked around the mess of Santana's room. "You're scaring me. What the hell is all of this?"_

"_I-um-" Santana's eyes were nervously glancing around the room. Mercedes had never seen Santana frightened, not like this before. Of course, Mercedes had also been watching her best friend give that performance for Puckerman only a few hours ago at the Ark. Dark eyes kept touching the box on the bed even as Santana searched for an explanation to her behavior. "-you shouldn't be here, Mercedes. Not now. I don't want to get you in trouble too."_

"_In trouble?" Mercedes shook her head. "What did you do – besides the hot blonde?"_

_Santana couldn't spare her friend the smile that would have come with Mercedes' quip. "Seriously. You should go back to the Ark so it all falls on my head and you're not involved."_

"_What are you going to do, Tana?"_

"_Something stupid."_

"_Oh yeah?" _

"_Yes." Santana lifted the box from her bed and turned it over a few times in her hands. "I lifted Puckerman's gun from his office when I had my meeting with him."_

"_So that's what's in the box…" Mercedes glanced to the object in Santana's hands. It was very dangerous to even think about what Santana was going to do with the incriminating weapon. _

"_I should just sneak it back into his office and pretend I never took it. Shit. This is so dangerous, Mercedes! I don't know what I was thinking! I could get you killed and he'll definitely kill me!" Santana groaned and threw the box back on the bed. _

"_Well…if my safety wasn't a concern, where would you send it?"_

_Santana said very quietly. "To her."_

"_If that's the case, what are you waiting for?" _

"_Cedes! Haven't you been listening? It's dangerous and it could get you killed!"_

"_But do you want to do it?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Then it's settled." Mercedes nodded her head. "Get in the car, bring your box, I'm driving you to the station cause I don't think you can put that in regular postage."_

"_Mercedes!"_

"_Santana!" Her best friend mocked her tone of voice. "Don't worry bout it, girl. I've got your back. Trust me. I can handle whatever Puckerman throws at me."_

"_But he's dangerous, Cedes."_

"_I know. Don't worry about it. I've been talking to Berry." Santana's eyes snapped up in confusion, but Mercedes ignored her. "We've got a plan."_

"_A plan?" A moment ago, she thought her best friend would have dumped her on her ass and now Mercedes was talking about a plan, specifically- "A plan with Berry?"_

"_Yes, with Berry. What's wrong with that?"_

"_But…Berry?"_

_Mercedes' smirk only grew wider as she ushered her friend and the box out of their apartment. "Trust us. By the way, what were you looking for?"_

"_My passports and my IDs."_

"_Oh, I gave them to Rachel."_

"_What? Why would you give them to Berry?"_

"_It's all part of the plan." Mercedes was cackling with laughter at the bewildered look on Santana's face. _

* * *

_One year later…_

"You don't have to help me. Really I can handle it. It's your big night; you should be out there already drinking and celebrating." Emma was scrubbing at the same spot on the counter that had eluded her cleaning skills for the past six months. Her hand stilled on the wood and her bright, wide eyes looked up in panic. "Oh my God! You didn't want a drink did you?" She started to spin around behind the bar. Her hands were grabbing at glasses and looking for bottles of liquor. "Silly me! Here I am prattling on and on and you probably just wanted a drink and didn't say anything and now everyone's going to know that I messed up already tonight and it's only like seven o'clock."

"No-um-oh-" Brittany was trying to stop the woman from running around, but it was like trying to stop a train. There was no stopping Emma once she got an idea in her head. She was pouring Brittany a third drink now which looked to be straight shots of liquor into a glass of ice. Brittany's eyes were growing wider as Emma threw in splashes of Seagram's, Skyy, Grey Goose, Jose Cuervo, Wild Turkey, Frangelico, and then a dash of Bailey's with a satisfied nod of her head, as if the Bailey's would make everything taste just right.

Brittany reinforced a mental note she had been constantly checking the past twelve months: only order water from Emma. Alcoholic drinks equal death.

Emma looked back up at Brittany with clenched teeth, smiling and searching for approval.

The officer took the first of the drinks on the counter, which looked clear. She prayed it was only water and ice and not some vodka monstrosity. Brittany breathed a sigh of relief into the glass as her prayers were answered and she drank down the water.

She placed the cool glass back on the counter right as Emma finished replacing the three old napkins with three new ones neatly stacked. "Thanks, Emma. I really needed that."

"Oh good. I'm so happy I could help! I love helping especially on your big night."

"Well, it's not really my big night…" Brittany stressed. She finally sat down on the bar stool and glanced back to the main dance floor of the Ark. Sure there were quite a few people dressed for the club, but the blue uniforms of the many police officers made the Ark looked like a sea of blue. "It's the lieutenant's big night."

"The lieutenant…" Emma mouthed. Both women's eyes crossed the dance floor to the brillo-headed man talking to Mike Chang. "…he's so dreamy…"

Brittany was grateful to be facing away from Emma so she couldn't see her reaction to calling Will "dreamy". Despite Emma's poor choice in men, Britt enjoyed her friendship and didn't want it to end because of her inability to have a straight poker face. "Yeah…he's…something…" She winced even as the words came out and shoved the glass of water back into her face to mask her embarrassment.

"Anyway, Brittany, I heard that you also got a promotion. You're going to be a detective?"

Pink tinted the officer's face and she shook her head. "No, I'm just moving up in rank to first patrolman."

"Oh sounds even better!" Emma encouraged.

"Well. It's like-" Emma's head was bobbing vigorously with excitement. So much excitement, that Britt thought it would be better to just let the bartender have her ideas about ranking. "-yeah it's pretty awesome. A big step up!"

"Oh! Fantastic!" Emma clapped her yellow gloved hands together. Brittany didn't even remember her putting them on. "I knew you would get a promotion soon! I mean, I did write that letter of recommendation and sent it to your superior! I'm sure that helped!"

Brittany shoved the glass of water to her face again and nodded. Quite the opposite had happened when the captain received the letter. Captain Sylvester threw one of her infamous rants. She couldn't believe a common citizen had the nerve, no, the audacity, Brittany distinctly remembered that word because the captain had bellowed it right into the traffic cop's ears, to tell her, the Great Captain Sue Sylvester, how to promote and demote her officers.

Luckily, at the time, Emma still only knew Brittany as Anita, so when she addressed the letter of recommendation, Sue had been on the prowl for an Officer Anita. She wanted to give the officer a "special promotion" of her own. Two different Anitas in different precincts went mysteriously missing and the Anita who worked in the cafeteria for fifteen years conveniently took a leave of absence during the captain's "Anita Witch Hunt" as the officers started to call it. Everyone was very careful to never mention the name around the captain, but when she wasn't around, it did spark a bit of a joke amongst the officers. Any time someone would piss the captain off, they would get called an Anita. It was a pretty funny joke, but when the captain was around, no one even had even heard of the name Anita.

Britt smiled into her water thinking about how ridiculous the whole situation was in the station over Emma's genuine letter and the name she had to give to Santana.

And like always, it somehow led to Santana.

For the past year, Brittany had been thinking about her, day dreaming, and wondering "what if". What if she had gotten to the Ark earlier or maybe she had seen Santana one last time before she took off on the tour that would spark millions of fans and start a new dynasty of pop music dominance. They were billed as a duo similar to Amy Winehouse, Beyoncé and Adele all rolled into one. It was incredible what Two-Toned Trouble accomplished. Brittany often wondered what if she had left Santana a message that day before their plane took off.

Brittany knew that they would probably never see each other again and she was okay with that. At least, that's what she told herself.

She also started coming to the Ark on a regular basis and she hadn't gone on a date since then, but Brittany was over the singer.

Or so she kept telling herself.

"How is my very favorite police officer today?" A very familiar voice approached her from behind the bar. It wasn't Emma, but Britt definitely knew who the voice belonged to.

"Hi, Rach!" Britt smiled as the short brunette approached.

"Have I told you how wonderful it is to have a cop in my metaphorical back pocket? Not that I want to be presumptuous and call you _my_ cop because I think that would be a serious breach of decorum in the world of ethics and laws, but still…" Rachel was beaming. "I've made a side business on all the cars you ticket and I tow away on the street around the Ark. It's becoming quite a profit center and all because you hang out here more than I do!"

Rachel went from thanking Brittany to starkly reminding the officer of how pathetic her social life had become in a matter of a few sentences. Brittany wasn't sure, but she had feeling that Santana wouldn't have been able to stand Berry for more than a few minutes at a time.

But she didn't know…not for sure…because Brittany had never seen the two of them interact.

"It's just so grating to see such blatant disrespect for the law, but I'm sure you've seen plenty of that in your time spent as a traffic cop. Like flagrant attacks to the elderly crossing the street or disregard for carefully placed signs to direct traffic. It's really just mind-boggling how some people…"

Rachel was still talking and Brittany was now positive, without a doubt, that Santana wouldn't have been able to stand Rachel Berry's never ceasing mouth and opinions.

To stop Rachel from talking about her opinions of traffic laws, Brittany decided to ask her about the only thing Brittany was ever interested in asking her about. "How's the label going?"

Berry Labels had been created the day Puckerman's empire crumbled. Since it was Noah's only real legitimate business front, it had been open to public shares. When news of Puckerman's arrest shook the entire board's faith in the company and his name, it was like a fire sale. Shares were sold at an alarming rate. Berry Labels bought almost all of them. The takeover was complete before Puckerman had even been processed into holding.

"Oh it's so good, Officer Pierce, you should hear some of the names we've brought in to do back up for a new project."

Brittany wasn't sure when Rachel had taken an interest in her. One day, Rachel waltzed right over to Brittany's favorite spot at Emma's bar shook her hand and introduced herself as owner of the Ark and Berry Labels.

"And then of course there are my two favorite ladies." Brittany's ear perked. She tried not to look interested, but this is what she had been waiting for. This was the reason she tolerated Rachel's unexpected and invasive friendship. "Two-Toned Trouble-" She paused and glanced at Brittany. "-You do know who they are, right? Mercedes? Santana? The greatest duo since Simon & Garfunkel, Tegan & Sara, Peanut Butter & Jelly?"

"I think I've heard of them…" Brittany responded with measured patience. It seemed like Rachel asked this question every time she brought them up.

"Well they are finally coming back to the States in about three weeks. I've already got studio space ready to go and a few places are _begging _for them to do some of their hits!"

"They're going to be recording again?"

"Of course they are! Do you think they could continue with the poor catalog of music they've been using the past year forever? Oh, my dear blonde traffic officer…" Rachel cooed and Brittany tried to hide her face behind the water glass. "…I forget that by protecting us citizens from the dangers of illegal parking, that you give up a sense of pop culture and common sense. You see, when Berry Label put together Two-Toned Trouble, it was done so fast with music already recorded by Santana and Mercedes separately in the studio. They were mixed and sliced together and of course there are the solo tracks that they recorded. I can't wait to have them back in the studio with my special care and ear for these kinds of things. We're going to make gold."

Britt wasn't really listening to the logistics about song making and all that other nonsense. The only part she cared for was the part about Santana being back in the States. Her heart had skipped a beat at the thought of Santana recording right here in the Ark. Sometimes Brittany couldn't believe that she had lived here this whole time and never heard Santana sing until that fateful night. Now, all she did was linger in the Ark hoping that Santana would come out and do a song, any song. But instead, the house DJ would throw on a Two-Toned Trouble track, the place would go crazy, and Brittany would have another sip of water and offer to help Emma with some of the cleaning.

"If only I could really push Santana into realizing her true vocal potential then I could mold her into the type of singer I really think she could be. I even dabbled in a bit of songwriting myself." Rachel was going on. Brittany just kept nodding.

The dance floor was clearing of regular people as more and more officers were getting drinks and taking over the Ark. The police hadn't officially rented out the Ark for the night, but their presence and the whispered rumors that the Great Captain Sue Sylvester would be making an appearance made anyone with half a sense clear out of the club. No one was dumb enough to be caught around the captain for any reason. By the time Brittany finished her glass of water, there were only a few people left on the dance floor who weren't in uniform and Britt guessed they would be cleared out eventually by some aggressive officer. This was a night to celebrate the force and one man.

"How'd you get the party to be at the Ark?" Britt cut into Rachel's rambling.

"Me?" Red tinted Rachel's cheeks. "I tried talking to the captain about the party and she threatened to have me arrested for harassment and attempted assault with a deadly weapon…"

"What? You tried attacking the captain?"

"She said my voice was dangerous and a threat to society, but apparently Quinn, my lawyer, knows her from things and she convinced the captain to host the party here. So it all worked out and I'm not going to jail."

"That's good!" Brittany encouraged, but she secretly wondered if there was a way she could get Rachel to inspire the captain's rage once again.

"Is this thing on?" A voice ripped through the music playing in the background. Both women flinched and turned. Sue Sylvester was standing at the DJ booth with the microphone in hand. The DJ was face down on the floor outside of the booth. His hands were over his head and he looked like he was cowering. "Good. Now let's all assemble so we can get this sham of a ceremony over as soon as possible. I've got better things to do than to congratulate a pencil pusher with eraser shavings for hair."

"Thank you, Captain Sue." Another voice came from the stage area. It annunciated every word and drew them out very slowly. "I can handle it from here."

Sue shot him a glare, but held out her microphone. It hovered in the air for a moment before she unceremoniously dropped it onto the quivering DJ's head. It landed with a thud. Both Brittany and Rachel cringed.

"Does she ever calm down?" Rachel's eyes were wide with terror.

"That is her calm." Britt answered. She really wanted to know more about Santana. She wanted to ask Rachel if Santana was happy. If she was loving her new life as a mega star on the road. She wanted Rachel to tell her everything, but…she couldn't…Rachel didn't even know about them and if she did know, she would probably think it was really creepy that Brittany hung around the Ark like she did.

She noticed Sam was weaving in and out of other officers and on his way to her favorite bar.

"William, please come to the stage." Chief Figgins was ushering the lieutenant to come up and join him. Sue was already there and glaring at him.

"Britt! Hey!" Sam barreled over with that goofy grin on his face. "Hi! I think it's starting and Detective Chang said if he couldn't see our faces smiling for the lieutenant that you'd get demoted and that I would stay in traffic forever."

Brittany hesitated and looked back at Rachel. She wanted to ask all those questions, but…

"So maybe we can catch up later and we can talk about that recording stuff for Two-Toned Trouble. I've always been interested in that stuff."

"Come on, Britt. Demotion…come on!" Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd.

Rachel turned around in her stool and smiled to Emma. "Oh I'm sure it's the recording room that she's interested in." She had been the one watching Santana and the officer get it on through the security monitors over a year ago. So when the sad officer walked through the doors of the Ark, Rachel had been unable to stop herself from leaving the security booth to introduce herself to the officer that started the whole thing. In a roundabout way, Brittany was the reason she now owned the Ark and had Berry Labels. Whatever the officer did to Santana had to have been amazing because Rachel was still reaping the benefits of Santana's good deed.

Thus why the new owner of the Ark felt compelled to offer her friendship to the blonde officer as a form of repayment -

- that and what she planned for tonight.

* * *

"And it is with great pleasure we wish Lieutenant Schuster the best of health and love on his retirement." Chief Figgins was saying to the assembly. "You have served us well, William, and now it is time for you to go to that sweet peace."

"What?" Will was bewilderedly looking from Sue to Figgins. "This was supposed to be a promotion not a retirement!"

"William, hush now. The captain convinced me that you needed to take this time for yourself. Get a wife. Get a life. Relax. You're living the dream."

"Get a haircut." Sue muttered.

"But, sir! She tricked you into this somehow! I don't want to retire!"

Figgins clasped onto Will's hand hard and pulled him in close. He whispered. "Take it like a man, William. It will go better that way."

Schuster pulled back and Figgins kept shaking his hand. All the officers were looking at each other confused. Figgins took the mic back and smiled. "Let us give a hand to William for his years of service! Achievement!"

Everyone started to cheer and clap.

Brittany and Sam were clapping and whopping louder than anyone else in the crowd. They were all here out of fear. Sue made sure that everyone came to witness the event. Apparently, she had just wanted everyone to watch the way she maneuvered Will out of his job. Knowing the system and how the chief operated, Brittany doubted the retirement would be permanent, but at the moment it looked like the captain had won this round.

"Let's celebrate!" Figgins waved his two fists in the air. The house DJ was back in his booth. He looked expectantly over at Sue. The captain dismissively waved her fingers in the air. The music started up and the officers, personnel, and others who were invited to attend, started to disperse. Will stood on the stage with his mouth agape. He didn't understand what just happened.

"I almost feel bad for him." Sam remarked.

"Eh. He'll be fine. It's probably for the best. I'm pretty sure the captain was going to have him taken care of some other way if this didn't work. It's definitely for the best."

"You're probably right. And this does fit my theory on how the captain still has her job. And why Figgins meets with her every Thursday at the bagel shop on 11th street."

"Sam! I told you to stop following the captain!" Britt hissed. "She's going to find out one day and she'll kill you!"

They were moving through the dancing officers and around those who were just chatting and casually drinking. The lights were dimming and the music was getting better.

"I didn't get to say congrats yet, Britt, but I'm so proud you moved up." Sam said as they made their way to the bar. "It sucks that it's only out of traffic because I thought for sure you'd be filling in the lieutenant's spot by now."

"I think Chang's got that locked up tight. He's been working on that spot for the past two years. I wouldn't be surprised if he buddied up with the captain to carry out her plan to get the lieutenant retired."

The lights were dimming even lower. Brittany didn't really notice.

"So Pierce…wanna dance or something?" Sam asked rather awkwardly of his partner.

"Or something?" Britt repeated. "Does that line usually work on the ladies?"

"Aww, come on, Britt, just dance a little with me. It'll be fun. I promise!" Sam said and started to move his arms back and forth in the most ridiculous manner.

"I think I'm going to get another drink."

"You mean more water." Sam sighed with defeat. "You know…you're going to have to get over her eventually."

"I will – I mean, I am. I just don't feel like dancing right now."

"Okay, Britt, suit yourself. I'm going to tear it up."

"Go get'em." Britt smirked as her partner wove his way through officers to the dance floor. She still couldn't believe the police department had decided to throw a party at the Ark. But it had a sort of poetic justice to it.

She stepped off the dance floor right as the hues in the club started to subtly change.

Purple.

She looked down at the floor then at her hands to see they were tinted in purple. The rest of the officers and those around her didn't notice. But Brittany did. She whipped her head up to the ceiling to watch as the various spot lights turned shades of purple and swiveled over the Ark. A tremor of anticipation ran down her spine, but she refused to turn around. She refused to give herself hope that something was about to happen even if it felt like the world was holding its breath in anticipation.

People were now moving in the direction of the stage. The DJ had taken his mic up again.

"Ladies and Gentleman! Officers! For your pleasure alone, the dynamic duo of Santana Lopez and Mercedes Jones,Two-Toned Trouble, have returned from their world tour early just for this party."

A band had already taken to the stage. Two microphones were waiting expectantly. But Brittany had yet to turn around. It felt like a dream. This was what she had fantasized about for the past twelve months. Yet her usual confidence was fading in the moment. Santana wouldn't remember her or at the very least would have definitely moved on.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to a very special person in the audience." Brittany's body was trembling. The hairs on her back of her neck were standing straight up and she didn't know if she had the will power to turn around. She would know that voice anywhere. It didn't matter that she hadn't seen Santana in over a year. It felt like just yesterday that the singer had dedicated _Dirty Laundry_ to her. "This goes out to my Anita."

The crowd was yelling and calling. Even if they were cops and officers of the law, they didn't live under rocks. Everyone, their grandmothers, and their children knew Two-Toned Trouble and they were from this city. It was so exciting!

Everyone rushed forward, but Brittany couldn't move a muscle. Santana always seemed to have a way of capturing her in the most exquisitely torturous ways.

"Anita!" The captain's voice could be heard screeching and searching for the source of the infamous Anita. "Where is she!?"

But Brittany could barely hear the commotion the captain was causing.

The saxophone came in hard and heavy. The entire place's attention was now on the stage. A terribly exciting energy flowed from body to body as the drums and cymbals joined the fray.

_This may come_

_This may come as some surprise_

_But I miss you_

She could feel it. She could feel it in every word. She could feel it in the deep bass. Santana was calling her. The officer turned around.

Dark eyes had been waiting. Under the light, Santana had been staring right at her.

_You could see through all of my lies_

_And still I miss you_

The spotlight swung to Mercedes as the second half of Two-Toned Trouble added her vocals to the song.

_He takes her love_

_But it doesn't feel like mine_

_He tastes her kiss_

_Her kisses are not wine_

_They're not mine_

It didn't matter that the lights were now on Mercedes or that she was belting out Sade. The club's entire attention was on her.

But Brittany…

Brittany couldn't take her eyes away from Santana in the shadows of the stage. She was wearing one of her sinfully short dresses and heels that should be illegal. And all Brittany could remember was the way they had wrapped around her body that night. It had been a whole year ago, but as Brittany's eyes travelled up Santana's body, slowly, admiring every curve and dip, it felt like they had fallen into bed only last night.

Mercedes kept singing.

_He takes, but surely _

_She can't give what I'm feeling now_

_She takes, but surely_

_She doesn't know how_

Brittany once again found Santana's eyes. They had yet to leave the blonde officer. The lights once again swung in Santana's direction, but even with the purple light bathing her in a neon glow, Santana's eyes only seemed to darken.

Her lips pressed against the mesh surface of the Ark microphone.

_Is it a crime?_

_Is it a crime?_

_That I still want you?_

Her voice was intoxicating. Every word wrapped from the mic down the wire as it circled the microphone stand. Her words twisted through the crowd and weaved through bodies in sensual rises and falls until they found Brittany, vulnerable, and needy. They found her from her toes and climbed through her legs. They squeezed her thighs and urged her to step closer.

_And I want you to want me too._

God. She could feel Santana's words echoing and beckoning the officer forward. Her body moved.

Those lips pressed hard into the mic. The crowd surged forward and it looked like Santana would throw her body into the hands raised to the stage.

_My love is wider_

_Wider than Victoria Lake_

_My love is taller_

_Taller than the Empire State_

The saxophone came back.

_It dive and it jumps and it ripples like the deepest ocean_

The whole band was rocking and Santana's voice was reaching a crescendo in power and tempo. Brittany couldn't control the way her body was thrumming.

_I can't give you more than that_

_And surely you want me back!_

Her voice was softer now, almost like she forgot to sing. Her dark eyes were focused solely on Brittany. The officer's heart was beating so hard it felt like it would go through her chest.

_Is it a crime?_

_Is it a crime?_

_That I still want you?_

_And I want you to want me too._

Mercedes came back into the song, but Brittany didn't hear a word she was singing. Santana was moving down the stage. Her heels were clicking on the steps to the side. The light went dim around her, but Santana had yet to move her eyes from the officer. Mercedes was glancing over giving her partner the side-eye, but Santana didn't care. When Mercedes realized this would be one of those moments Santana abandoned her in the middle of a song, she rolled her eyes. Luckily, it only happened when fake-cop, who suspiciously looked like a real cop tonight, was around.

_My love is wider than Victoria Lake_

_Taller than the Empire State_

_It dives and it jumps_

The song was building. Santana was drawing closer, parting the crowd. Her eyes were hooded under her long lashes. Her mouth opened as she complemented Mercedes' voice.

_I can't give you more than that_

_Surely you want me back_

_Is it a crime?_

_Is it a crime?_

_That I still want you?_

Santana was closing the distance between them. Perhaps it was the way her eyes were smoldering for Brittany alone, no one stood in her way. The officers moved aside to let Santana through. Brittany thought her heart would beat out of her chest. Every fantasy she had of one day running into Santana at the Ark ten years from now were nothing compared to what was happening. She was only a few feet away.

_Santana. _Brittany thought she might have whispered aloud, but she wasn't quite sure. She took another step, but paused. Her feet stilled. She was waiting. Softly, with trepidation and fear that she could be rejected, Santana whispered into the microphone attached to her head. _And I want you to want me too. _All those youtube videos Brittany had watched of live performances and police database pictures she had scrolled through a thousand times were nothing like this. Santana pulled the mic away from her lips. She mouthed the words again. "I want you to want me too."

Mercedes was belting out the final refrain, but Santana was no longer singing.

_It dives_

_It jumps and it ripples like the deepest ocean_

_I can't give you more than that_

_Surely you want it back_

"Surely you want it back?" Santana's voice was much softer. The mic didn't pick it up; only Brittany could hear her question.

_Tell me_

_Is it a…_

_Crime?_

The lights faded and then lit up the stage where Mercedes was blowing kisses through the air to their audience and thanking them all for the wonderful service they do for the community. Her eyes glanced over once to her friend, but just flashed the blonde officer a smile before she went back to appeasing the crowd. The band was already starting up another number, but Santana didn't even have her microphone turned on anymore.

"I missed you…" Santana whispered with even less confidence than before. She remembered how harshly she had rejected the officer's offer to help her. "I'm sorry I didn't call or anything. I didn't know if you'd even want to talk to me and then Rachel and Holly told me I had to be on a plane and I didn't have time to even pack properly. I-um-I missed you and I'm sorry for all those terrible things I said."

Brittany said nothing. She still wasn't quite sure if this was real. A smile was twisting her lips and her fingers were tingling. Santana was only a few feet away.

"I-um-shit." Santana sighed and dropped her eyes to the floor. She was fidgeting with the material of her dress and Brittany thought she had never seen anyone as cute or as hot as Santana or as completely vulnerable like she was in this moment. Except that one time in the limo when their eyes had been open and there had been no music, no alcohol, and no Ark, Santana always hid this side of herself. "Fuck. I've never been rejected before and in my mind this went a lot differently. Whatever. I get it. I-um-I've got a set to finish. Bye."

Bye? The word echoed between them and Brittany's body reacted before her mouth ever opened. She reached out and took Santana by the wrist to prevent her retreat. The smaller brunette halted. Their bodies moved closer – much closer.

Without waiting for permission, Brittany's other hand wrapped tight around the singer's waist and pulled her forward. Santana's body compiled. Her mouth parted in surprise and pleasure at the officer's forwardness. Brittany's forehead brushed against hers as the blonde leaned into her body. Santana's fingers curled into uniform material. She pulled at Brittany's forearm and her stomach clenched in anticipation. A strong hand lifted her just a little from the floor. Santana forgot all the other excuses and speeches she prepared for Brittany. Her skin was tingling as Britt pushed away strands of her hair.

A year of waiting, a year spent in a limbo of unknowing, was worth it because no one kissed like Brittany. Their mouths connected in the sweetest second of passionate and unspoken nights of pining. A soft moan escaped Santana. She shut her eyes even tighter. But she could feel the smile in on Britt's lips. More importantly, she could feel those fingers sliding down her cheek and cupping her chin.

Cheers and claps sounded around them.

"Get it, Pierce!"

"I didn't know she batted for the other team!"

"This is the best party I've been to since the captain made everyone not wearing their uniform properly make a human pyramid outside in the snow. They had to hold the poise for the entire ceremony."

Santana blushed and pulled back. She had completely forgotten about the entire assembly around them. "Shit." Her entire body was thrumming. Mercedes was rolling her eyes from the stage and trying to gain the attention of the crowd once again as she ripped into her solo single from the album.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Brittany repeated her question from the first time Santana had left the stage to approach her. Her blue eyes were sparkling in the shifting lights of the Ark. Quite a crowd had gathered around them now.

"Definitely." Santana took Brittany hand.

Brittany didn't even bother to contain the smile on her face.

Sam was running up to them. "Britt! Did you see!? It was Santana on the stag-" He realized that Brittany wasn't alone and that Santana wasn't going to stop for a few seconds to chat.

"Out of the way, Trouty." Santana pushed past him.

Brittany was grinning as she waved bye to her best friend.

They hit Emma's counter and Santana threw the doors to the bar open as if she owned the place.

"Oh thank Sue, you two finally found each other!" They could hear Emma saying as Santana's free hand pushed open the doors to the back. Brittany looked back with mild concern. Emma had converted to Sylvesterism as well? That couldn't be good.

Hands.

Hands were pulling at the buttons of her uniform shirt. They ducked between guys stacking crates and people in the kitchen. Santana knew every inch of the Ark and from the way her fingers were fondling and groping at Brittany's buttons, she intended to know every inch of the officer as well.

They hit another set of doors and Brittany was smirking as she remembered every time Santana led through the bowels of the Ark. It seemed like a never ending maze of turns and twists, but Santana always knew where she was going. This time there were no guards or Puckerman's thugs chasing after them, but a few security guys nodded to them as they practically ran by.

Lips.

With little ceremony, Santana lifted Brittany's hand and kissed the back of her palm. They took a left turn. Britt looked up and swore this hallway looked familiar. Then she saw the door with Santana's name on it. Brittany had only been in the room once without Santana and that had been when they had made the arrest on Puckerman. Santana's back connected with the door.

Hips.

Brittany's hips rolled into the singer. They stayed still for a moment. Santana attempted to push back. She could feel the everything. Belt. Holster. Buckles. The cuffs knocked together in a tantalizingly suggestive clink. Santana groaned. She attempted to shift her lower body. She needed friction. But the officer clenched her abdomen and didn't give her room.

Eyes.

Dark eyes opened. She bit her bottom lip and moaned even louder as she realized what Brittany was doing. Santana knew she was pinned. Fuck. She bucked harder now. One of the buttons on the belt pressed against the material of her dress. Santana sucked in. Her ass hit the door again.

Hips.

Brittany rubbed their hips together. The bass from the club and Mercedes' performance penetrated the walls and lower parts of the Ark. It vibrated down through the cinderblock and wood. The beat was hot and heavy. And if Santana wouldn't have been so distracted, she probably would have known what song Mercedes was performing. But right now…she didn't know; she didn't care. Britt must have felt the bass too because her hips rolled in slow and hard. Santana gripped onto the officer's forearm to steady herself. Her other hand slipped around Brittany's waist teasing the belt loops as her fingers accidently slid in and out of each loop.

Ass.

She lingered on the officer's hip and held on as Brittany pushed her ass harder into the door. _Fuck._ Santana groaned and sought better leverage. She opened her hand and palmed the officer's ass through those incredibly sexy uniform pants. At the thought of taking them off, Santana stomach clenched. Brittany wasn't done. The bass was harder and she was moving their bodies together. Santana spread her legs wider. The dress lifted. Harder. Brittany was going to ride her through the door without ever turning the knob. They moved to the music.

Santana couldn't help herself. "I've been waiting forever to dance with you again."

"Yeah?" Brittany smirked and rode their bodies even slower into the door. She pressed her lips right against Santana's exposed neck. Her kisses were mobile and rapidly ascending. They caressed her neck and played right between her jawline. They found space beneath her thick dark hair.

Teeth.

Brittany nipped at Santana's earlobe. She could feel the blonde smiling against her soft tissue. Her body was tingling and heated. She could smell her. It was intoxicating.

"I've been dancing with you for a whole year." Brittany hoarsely whispered into the singer's ear. Playfully. "You couldn't feel me?"

Santana's body was shaking. Her nails were raking up and down Brittany's forearm. Every time they rocked together, she was desperate for more. She lifted her left leg from the floor and wrapped it around the officer's waist.

"How?"

A kiss. "I bought your cd." Tongue. "Every night when I'd come home from a long day at work." Another kiss right behind her ear. Santana's knees were buckling at the intimacy. "I'd close my eyes and pretend it was you singing to me."

A soft gasp escaped from her lips. Santana's back arched and she moaned. She remembered the Cage and how sexy Brittany had been on the dance floor. "Did you touch yourself?"

Brittany's teeth sank into Santana's ear. Her response was more hot breath than words. "What do you think?"

"Fuck." Santana dug into Brittany's arm harder and pulled the blonde down so she could be the one whispering into ears. "If you don't open this door and fuck me against it right now, I'm never going to sing again."

"You wouldn't." Brittany was smirking. The hand she had underneath Santana's dress squeezed her thigh. She hiked the shorter woman up her waist and wrapped both of her legs around her body.

Santana's dark eyes were blazing. Britt felt a shiver go through her whole body. She had never met a woman like Santana before. "Don't push me. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Here, I thought you wanted me to push you." She rolled their hips again. Santana's eyes closed for a sweet moment to savor the sensation. Her other hand found the door knob. "You're going to be singing my name by the end of the night."

Santana squeezed her eyes shut and knew no truer words had ever been spoken. The door finally creaked open and they went tumbling back into the dressing room together.

* * *

**Thanks everyone for reading and for the reviews! They were always entertaining! This started as a one-shot and grew into a world I would love to play in more. So I'm definitely thinking about maybe doing another shorty with the Ark, Santana, Officer Britt, Berry Labels, Mercedes, and Captain Sylvester. Maybe if you guys are interested in seeing more, mention it so I'd know.**

**I just need to finish **_**Sirens**_** first. So if you are looking for more Brittana goodness and you don't read **_**Sirens**_**, I am working on chapter 29 at the moment. **

**Once again thank you! Honestly, it would have stayed a much shorter story without all the positive and encouraging feedback you guys gave me and I'm very appreciative. :D**

**Song:**

_**Is It A Crime? **_**–Sade**

**Full Song List for **_**Is It a Crime?**_**:**

_**Dirty Laundry**_** – Bitter:Sweet**

_**Oops **_**– Tweet**

_**Criminal**_** – Fiona Apple**

_**Is It A Crime? **_**- Sade**


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